TRANSPORT

A127/A13

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been  (a) killed and  (b) seriously injured on (i) the A127 and (ii) A13 between the M25 and Southend in (A) each of the last five years for which figures are available and (B) 2006 to date.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of people killed or seriously injured in personal injury road accidents that have been reported to the police, on the A127 and A13 between the M25 and Southend in each of the last five years from 2000 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), is given in the following table. Main results on personal injury road accidents reported to the police in 2005 will be published shortly. Figures for 2006 will become available in summer 2007.
	
		
			   Severity of casualty 
			   Fatal  Seriously injured 
			  (i) Number of killed or seriously injured casualties on the A127: 2000-04   
			 2000 3 43 
			 2001 5 52 
			 2002 2 27 
			 2003 11 51 
			 2004 6 35 
			
			  (ii) Number of killed or seriously injured casualties on the A13 between its junction with M25 and the junction with A127 in Southend town centre: 2000-04.   
			 2000 2 32 
			 2001 7 41 
			 2002 4 40 
			 2003 7 49 
			 2004 4 36

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

Gillian Merron: Across the Department for Transport, including its agencies, the number of staff who received markings indicating that performance was not acceptable or that objectives were not achieved were:
	
		
			   Number of staff  Percentage of total staff 
			 2003-04 65 0.6 
			 2004-05 79 0.7 
			 2005-06 (1)? (1)? 
			 (1) Figures not yet available.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport and its agencies have recruited the following number of people over the age of 55 over the last three years:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 218 
			 2004-05 161 
			 2003-04 105 
		
	
	The Crown is an equal opportunities employer and aims to recruit, retain and promote the best available people. Applications are welcome from all qualified individuals regardless of their sex, gender identity, disability, marital status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, employment status, working patterns, caring responsibility and trade union membership, union office or trade union activities.

Leominster Train Station

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to include Leominster train station on the Access for All Station List; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Access for All Station List published on 23 March 2006 details the stations that the Government have asked Network Rail to assess for improvement in the first phase of the 10 year Access for All programme up to 2009.
	In due course we will draw up a list of stations for the next phase of the programme from 2009-14. Leominster will be assessed for inclusion alongside the other stations which have not been improved as part of the first phase.

M4 Widening

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions are under way on plans for M4 widening schemes.

Stephen Ladyman: The draft South East Plan contains a proposed infrastructure framework, including a proposal for widening the M4 between Junctions 5 and 8/9. The Highways Agency is in discussion with the South East England Regional Assembly and other regional stakeholders about this.
	In the South West the M4 Junction 18 eastbound climbing lane scheme was opened to traffic in November 2005. There are no other widening plans at present, but the Greater Bristol Strategic Transport Study is examining possible widening of the M4 and publication of its recommendations is imminent.

Marine Environment

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria are used to identify Marine Environment High Risk Areas.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Lady to my answer of 8 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 1519-21W to the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George).

Marine Environment

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reasons the Isles of Scilly are no longer a Marine Environment High Risk Area.

Stephen Ladyman: The Isles of Scilly have never been designated as a Marine Environmental High Risk Area (MEHRA). Although Lord Donaldson's report "Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas" suggested a number of areas that he felt might be identified as MEHRAs, some of these subsequently did not meet the criteria, based on environmental importance along with accident frequency and pollution risk from shipping. Only those areas which scored highly both in terms of environmental sensitivity and in terms of risk from shipping qualified as MEHRAs.
	Consequently, the written statement from the former Secretary of State for Transport on 13 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 58-59WS, announcing the locations of the MEHRAs, did not include the Isles of Scilly.

Nuclear Waste

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which London railway lines are used for the transportation of nuclear waste.

Derek Twigg: The Department does not hold this information. The transport of radioactive material by rail is a highly regulated activity that is carried out in accordance with stringent national and international regulations. The intention of the regulatory system is to ensure that these shipments are safe irrespective of the route chose.

Plymouth-Saltash Travel

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average daily flow of passengers was from Plymouth to Saltash in each of the last five years, broken down by mode of transport.

Derek Twigg: Information for rail is not collected in the form requested. Based on analysis of ticket sales data, the average number of daily passenger journeys made by train from Plymouth to Saltash in each of the last five financial years is estimated to be as follows:
	
		
			   Journeys 
			 2001-02 14 
			 2002-03 10 
			 2003-04 10 
			 2004-05 9 
			 2005-06 9 
		
	
	The information requested is not available for other transport modes.

TREASURY

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter of 12 April from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on Interest in Possession Trusts.

Dawn Primarolo: I expect to be in a position to write to the hon. Gentleman in about a week's time in the light of the forthcoming debate in the Finance Bill Committee on inheritance tax provisions to which his letter refers.

Student Loans

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of outstanding student loans that will be written off over the next 30 years; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	Borrowers are required to repay student loans only when their income reaches the relevant income threshold; and loans are written off when borrowers reach the relevant age threshold, after 25 years, become permanently unfit for work, or die.(1)
	At the end of the 2004-05 financial year our estimate was that, in England and Wales, £620 million of the £12.4 billion of outstanding income contingent maintenance loans and £420 million of the £1.5 billion of outstanding mortgage style loans would be written off. We do not estimate write offs which will occur specifically within the next thirty years as loans (particularly where borrowers do not reach the threshold) could have a longer lifetime.
	(1) Income contingent loans will be written off after 25 years (instead of at age 65) for students receiving them for the first time from September 2006. Mortgage style loans will not be written off while arrears remain outstanding except in the case of death or disability.

Sunscreen (VAT)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost in VAT revenue forgone of reclassifying sunscreen as a preventative medicine rather than a cosmetic.

Dawn Primarolo: The VAT treatment of sun protection products is no different from the VAT treatment of medicines. VAT is not charged on medicines and sun protection products when dispensed by a pharmacist on the prescription of a registered doctor. When otherwise supplied by retail sale they are chargeable with VAT at the standard rate.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of new tax credit claims, renewals and change of circumstances were decided within five working days of receipt in each year from 2003-04.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has Service Delivery Agreement targets for deciding tax credits claims, renewals and changes of circumstance within five working days. The performance for 2003-04 was published in the former Inland Revenue's Annual Report for 2003-04 and HMRC's Annual Report for 2004-05. These Reports are available on the HMRC website, www.hmrc.gov.uk. Indicative results for 2005-06 will be published in the spring Report in due course.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many claims there have been for tax credits in Birkenhead constituency at the latest available date; and how many were  (a) overpaid and  (b) underpaid.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2003-04 Geographical Analysis" and the "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards 2004-05 Geographical Analysis". These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by constituency with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Tax Credits

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average tax credit overpayment in each region of the United Kingdom in 2005-06.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.
	Estimates of numbers and values of overpayments or underpayments for 2005-06 awards at 5 April 2006 will not be available until after family circumstances and incomes for 2005-06 have been finalised.

Tax Credits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in Wales have received overpayments in  (a) child tax credits and  (b) working tax credits in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; what the average overpayment was to such people; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people in Wales have received underpayments in  (a) child tax credits and  (b) working tax credits in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; what the average underpayment was; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates for 2003-04 and 2004-05 of the numbers of in-work families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments, based on final family circumstances and incomes for 2003-04 and 2004-05 are published in "Child and Working Tax Credits Finalised Awards. 2003-04. Geographical Analyses" and the "Child and Working Tax Credits Finalised Awards. 2004-05. Geographical Analyses". These publications and provisional estimates for the number of in-work families by region with tax credit awards as at selected dates in 2005-06 are available on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm.
	We do not produce statistics separately for child and working tax credits.

Tax Credits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many overpayments of  (a) child tax credits and  (b) working tax credits to people living in Wales were clawed back in (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the amount of tax credit overpayments in  (a) 2003-04 and  (b) 2004-05 which will be recovered in each year from 2004-05 to 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on the 8 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 861-62W.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value of  (a) UK imports from Zimbabwe and  (b) UK exports to Zimbabwe (i) was in each of the last three years and (ii) has been in 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Value of the trade in goods for UK imports from, and UK Exports to Zimbabwe from 2003 to 2006 (year to date) 
			  £ million( 1) 
			   (a) Imports  (b) Exports 
			 2003 58.3 29.3 
			 2004 47.8 26.0 
			 2005(2) 43.6 22.1 
			 2006(2, 3) 5.5 5.3 
			 (1) Value of goods declared. (2) Data are provisional and subject to update. (3) 2006 data are for January to April.  Source: HM Revenue and Customs - Overseas Trade Statistics

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum/Immigration

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account his Department takes of  (a) a local authority's performance in implementing the Hillingdon judgment and  (b) the availability of appropriate welfare support when placing asylum-seeking children with local authorities.

Parmjit Dhanda: I have been asked to reply.
	The DfES collects annual statistics through the National Data Collection exercise on the number of children, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), who become looked after and the age at which they cease to be looked after. These figures show how local authorities are supporting looked-after children who are UASC.
	Neither the Home Office nor the Department for Education and Skills places children with individual local authorities. However, immigration service and National Asylum Support Service officials do make referrals to local authorities of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who appear to them to be children in need, within the meaning of the Children Act 1989. Where there is any doubt about the identity of the responsible local authority, this takes place in accordance with guidance that has been agreed with the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS).
	The Home Office in partnership with DfES and relevant local authorities intends soon to consult on how consistent standards for the accommodation and support of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children might best be developed. The Home Office in partnership with DfES and relevant local authorities intends soon to consult on how consistent standards for the accommodation and support of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children might best be developed.

Asylum/Immigration

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost was of detaining an individual in an immigration removal centre for one week in the latest period for which information is available.

Liam Byrne: The average direct cost (not including overheads) of holding an individual in an immigration removal centre for one week is £812.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 4 April from the hon. Member for Aylesbury (reference B9272/6) about the application for leave to remain of Mr. S. K. of Aylesbury (case reference K426659).

Liam Byrne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to the hon. Gentleman on 14 June 2006.

Correspondence

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby of 10 March in respect of the case of Ms Jane Okah Agwola.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 13 June 2006
	I replied to my hon. Friend on 14 June 2006.

Criminal Justice Act

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional probation officers will be recruited in the London area to provide increased supervision of defendants following the implementation of the custody plus provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 June 2006
	In September 2004, prior to the start of the Act's implementation, staffing in the London probation area stood at 2,459. By April 2006 it had risen to 2,759. The area is looking at further increases to take account of work arising from the Act and its other responsibilities.
	Most of the sentencing provisions in the Criminal Justice Act were implemented in April 2005. We are working towards an implementation date of autumn 2006 for custody plus but we shall not go ahead unless we are satisfied that the national probation service can cope with the additional work.

Defendant Anonymity

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the granting of anonymity to defendants in certain cases in some EU member states and the implications for open justice.

Gerry Sutcliffe: None. Open justice is a fundamental principle of our criminal justice system which requires no support from comparative research. Nor would research into the practice in other EU jurisdictions necessarily be of assistance in forming a view on this issue, as defendant anonymity needs to be considered in the context of individual countries' criminal justice systems generally.

Departmental Expenditure

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the outturn time for implementation against planned time was.

Liam Byrne: Since 1997 the Home Office has spent the amounts in the following table on its IT systems.
	The increases over the years reflect an increasing usage of, and reliance on, technology to support all aspects of the Department's business. In addition, step changes reflect increases in scope of the central figures. For example, the creation of the National Probation Service in April 2001 brought probation IT costs within the scope of the Department's IT expenditure for the first time. New major IT contracts in the core Home Office and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate have also affected the profile of expenditure.
	Detailed project information on: purpose; outturn against planned expenditure; or outturn time for implementation against planned time, for each IT system cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   £ 
			 1996-97 12,373,764 
			 1997-98 12,079,231 
			 1998-99 15,405,567 
			 1999-00 20,662,396 
			 2000-01 53,910,051 
			 2001-02 63,783,017 
			 2002-03 124,750,696 
			 2003-04 133,633,252 
			 2004-05 159,019,624

Departmental Security

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies have contracts for providing security at his Department's premises.

Liam Byrne: The companies which currently have contracts for providing security at the Department's premises are as follows:
	Capita
	Carlisle Security
	Chubb Security Personnel Ltd.
	First Security Group
	Group four Securicor
	ICTS Ltd.
	Legion Security
	OCS
	Pegasus Security Group
	Taylormade Investigations Security Services Ltd.
	The list does not cover buildings where the Home Office is the minority occupier of premises and a contract has been placed by another Government Department as the major leaseholder with responsibility for perimeter security.

Illegal Immigrants

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers in the West Midlands have been prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants in each of the last 10 years.

Liam Byrne: The Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform shows that in the last 10 years there has been one prosecution in the West Midlands for employing illegal immigrants and this occurred in 2004.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Immigration and Nationality Directorate will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, of  (a) 4 April 2006 on behalf of Tafie Ahmed Saleh (Home Office reference number S1123081, acknowledgement reference B9194/6) and  (b) 9 January on behalf of Mr. Tamburai Chirewo and Mrs. Tamari Chirewo (Home Office reference C1140345).

Liam Byrne: The information is as follows.
	 (a) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2006.
	 (b) The Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to my right hon. Friend on 13 June 2006.

Miscarriages of Justice

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding applications for compensation are being considered by the Independent Assessor to the Home Secretary on Miscarriages of Justice, broken down by the number of years the case has been under consideration.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There are currently 27 cases with the Independent Assessor for final assessment of compensation. Of those, two were submitted to him more than two years ago, two others more than one year ago. Those four applications form part of a large number of applications that arose from a series of quashed convictions relating to a wide-ranging fraud case. There are complex and overlapping issues affecting the whole group. All the applicants involved, including those who made final submissions, have been asked for further information in relation to their application. In a number of cases replies have not been received. The remainder were submitted to him within the last 12 months. Of those, 12 were submitted within the last three months, three between three and six months ago, seven between six and nine months, and one, also arising from the complex fraud case referred to, between nine and 12 months.
	The four cases referred to the Assessor more than one year ago have all had interim payments awarded by him, and of the remaining 23 which were referred within the last year, 20 have had interim payments.
	A further 109 cases have had eligibility confirmed by the Home Secretary. In these cases final submissions have not been made by the applicants and information regarding the level of compensation being claimed is awaited from the applicants or their representatives, before final assessments can be considered by the Assessor.

Mohammed Hussain

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the use of restraint on Mohammed Hussain in Rainsbrook secure training centre between July and August 2005;
	(2)  whether oxygen was provided to Mohammed Hussain following an incident of restraint at Rainsbrook secure training centre between July and October 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Police

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers were employed by each police force in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The available information is given in the table. Community support officers were introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002 so data are only available from 2003 onwards.
	
		
			  Community support officer strength (full-time equivalent)( 1)  by police force area, (2003-05) 
			  Police force  March 2003  March 2004  March 2005  September 2005 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 45 139 146 
			 Bedfordshire 0 12 37 43 
			 Cambridgeshire 6 57 87 92 
			 Cheshire 2 50 81 77 
			 Cleveland 37 77 98 86 
			 Cumbria 0 0 17 19 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 43 43 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 51 74 75 
			 Dorset 6 8 47 56 
			 Durham 10 28 69 72 
			 Essex 10 86 179 193 
			 Gloucestershire 0 54 72 62 
			 Greater Manchester 160 173 269 264 
			 Hampshire 0 0 26 23 
			 Hertfordshire 14 46 98 135 
			 Humberside 0 0 20 20 
			 Kent 0 59 105 103 
			 Lancashire 77 110 161 159 
			 Leicestershire 28 41 103 119 
			 Lincolnshire 29 38 75 78 
			 London, City of 0 0 14 14 
			 Merseyside 40 72 170 161 
			 Metropolitan 513 1,463 2,144 2,053 
			 Norfolk 12 33 68 67 
			 Northamptonshire 12 10 39 38 
			 Northumbria 0 51 130 143 
			 North Yorkshire 0 52 75 69 
			 Nottinghamshire 10 56 113 112 
			 South Yorkshire 14 59 125 125 
			 Staffordshire 0 7 63 62 
			 Suffolk 0 15 34 33 
			 Surrey 21 56 115 102 
			 Sussex 22 83 228 231 
			 Thames Valley 0 7 98 109 
			 Warwickshire 11 25 56 56 
			 West Mercia 8 57 81 86 
			 West Midlands 0 39 219 247 
			 West Yorkshire 70 265 394 433 
			 Wiltshire 15 23 41 38 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 5 25 24 
			 Gwent 30 45 77 81 
			 North Wales 0 0 46 61 
			 South Wales 0 59 107 116 
			 Total 43 forces 1,176 3,418 6,261 6,324 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.  Note: This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.

Police

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA profiles of individuals  (a) under and  (b) over 16 years old living in North Somerset are held by Avon and Somerset constabulary; and how many have not been convicted of a criminal offence in each case.

Joan Ryan: There are an estimated 67,556 individuals who have a DNA profile on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) taken by Avon and Somerset constabulary, of which 1,994 are currently under 16 years of age and 65,562 are 16 years or over (as at 30 May 2006). Information held on the NDNAD is available on a police force area basis only and although the DNA sample in these cases was taken by Avon and Somerset constabulary, the individuals to whom the sample relates will not necessarily be resident in Avon and Somerset.
	Data on whether these individuals have been convicted or acquitted of a criminal offence are held on the police national computer (PNC) but not on the NDNAD.
	PNC data are available for 60,521 individuals only, of which 1,490 are under 16 years of age and 59,031 are 16 years or over. Of the 1,490 persons who are under 16, 1,243 have not been convicted of an offence and of the 59,031 persons who are 16 years or over, 15,824 have not been convicted of an offence. (It should be noted that for the purposes of these data, cautions are included as non convictions.)
	The difference of approximately 7,000 individuals between the NDNAD records and the PNC records is largely accounted for by the fact that, until recently, records for persons who were acquitted of an offence were removed from the PNC, but retained on the NDNAD. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the ages of these 7,000 who were acquitted as the records are no longer available.

Prisoner Transport

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1220W, on prisoners, 
	(1)  how many  (a) pregnant and  (b) mobility impaired prisoners have been transported in cellular vehicles in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many complaints have been made in each of the last five years about the transportation of  (a) pregnant and  (b) mobility impaired prisoners; and what the nature was of each complaint;
	(3)  on how many occasions in each of the last five years  (a) pregnant and  (b) mobility impaired prisoners have not been assessed by prison operational managers and health care professionals prior to transportation; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There is no requirement in the contracts for contractors to record separately the movement of pregnant and mobility impaired prisoners. Information on the transport of pregnant or mobility impaired prisoners in cellular vehicles is not recorded centrally.
	There are a number of methods by which prisoners may make complaints. These are to prison staff at the establishment or to the senior operational manager as well as to Prison Service HQ. Complaints may also be made by prisoners under transport to the contractors. It has not proved possible to separate out complaints made by or about pregnant or mobility impaired prisoners from available records.
	All prisoners should be assessed as being fit for travel by a health care professional before being transported. Guidance has been issued to all women's prisons to remind them of correct assessment procedures and there is a strong presumption that pregnant prisoners should not travel in cellular vehicles. A similar presumption applies to the transport of mobility impaired prisoners.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to avoid moving prisoners between establishments as a result of overcrowding, with particular reference to those who are participating in education programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 13 June 2006
	Prisoners are usually transferred when their security category has been changed, to enable them to meet the requirements of their sentence plan, for compassionate reasons, as part of their preparation for release and for operational security reasons. High population levels can also lead to prisoners being transferred to establishments with a greater number of vacancies.
	Existing guidance requires prison governors to consider family contact issues and the education and training needs of individual prisoners before moving them, and to move them to prisons which can most suitably meet their work and training requirements.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are developing new learning and skills delivery arrangements. These include plans to ensure educational records are available electronically when prisoners transfer between establishments.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring into use temporary pre-fabricated units to address prison overcrowding; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 13 June 2006
	There are no plans to accommodate prisoners in temporary units such as the modular temporary units used in 2002.

Victims of Crime

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to prevent convicted criminals contacting  (a) the victims of their crimes and  (b) the relatives of their victims.

Tony McNulty: Various arrangements are in place to reduce the risk of unwanted contact from offenders, including:
	Victims or their relatives who receive unwanted contact from offenders in custody may contact the National Offender Management Service victims' helpline. Helpline staff will forward concerns to the relevant prison governor to consider and take action as appropriate.
	The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 places a statutory duty on the Probation Service to provide services to victims of crimes committed by specified offenders. Prior to such an offender being released from custody, victims receiving services under these arrangements will be asked if they wish to make representations about conditions that might be attached to an offender's licence. Conditions which relate to victims, might for example, include non-contact with the victim or members of their families or a geographical exclusion zone into which the offender is not allowed to travel. Breaches of these conditions can result in the offender's recall to custody.

Young Offenders

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of the 10 to 17-year-olds who received a custodial sentence for breach of an antisocial behaviour order received a  (a) concurrent and  (b) consecutive custodial sentence for other matters in the period between December 2003 and September 2005;
	(2)  how many 10 to 17-year-olds received a custodial sentence for breach of an antisocial behaviour order in the period between December 2003 and September 2005;
	(3)  how many  (a) antisocial behaviour orders and  (b) individual support orders were issued to 10 to 17-year-olds in the period between December 2003 and September 2005;
	(4)  how many antisocial behaviour orders issued to 10 to 17-year-olds were breached in the period between December 2003 and September 2005.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 15 June 2006
	Antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available for the period from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 for ASBOs issued since 1 June 2000.
	The number of ASBOs issued at all courts to persons aged 10 to 17, as reported to the Home Office by the Court Service, from 1 December 2003 to 30 September 2005 is 2,085.
	Individual Support Orders (ISOs) were introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 as from 1 May 2004 and are available at the magistrates court for ASBOs issued on application only to persons aged 10 to 17. Between 1 May 2004 to 30 September 2005, of the 789 ASBOs issued on application at the magistrates court to 10 to 17-year-olds, 31 persons also received an ISO.

Young Offenders

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what alternatives to prison for convicted non-violent young offenders are available to the courts.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The range of non-custodial sentences available to the courts includes Referral Orders and Action Plan Orders for less serious and first time offenders through to the Community Rehabilitation Order and the Supervision Order, which are more robust and to which can be attached the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP).

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House which Private Members' Bills were drafted by his Department in each Session since 1997; and which subsequently received Royal Assent.

Jack Straw: None.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  which Government Bills sponsored by his Department remain to be introduced during the 2005-06 Session;
	(2)  which Government Bills sponsored by his Department he has bid for in the next Session of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Queen's Speech of 17 May 2005 and subsequent announcements have set out the Government's legislative priorities for this Session. Any further announcement relating to the legislative programme for the current session would be made at the appropriate time.
	As Chair of the Cabinet Committee on the Legislative Programme, I am responsible for discussing with colleagues the Government's legislative priorities for the next Session. The outcome of those discussions will be set out in the Queen's Speech later this year.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Braille/Audio/Large Print Publications

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to increase the number of  (a) Braille,  (b) audio and  (c) large print books, newspapers and magazines available in the UK.

Shaun Woodward: We have been facilitating discussions among publishers, authors, the Royal National Institute of the Blind, and the National Library for the Blind on a project to investigate the possibility of transforming published material into formats accessible to the visually impaired.
	Currently, a feasibility study is under way and results will be reported back to a Steering Group, chaired by DTI officials, shortly.

Commonwealth Institute Building

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received from the Commonwealth Institute regarding the future of the Commonwealth Institute building.

David Lammy: There have been a number of representations from the Commonwealth Institute on the future of the Commonwealth Institute building since November 2004. The most recent is a letter from the Chairman of the Trustees of the Commonwealth Institute dated 30 May.

Commonwealth Institute Building

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what organisations she has consulted regarding the future of the Commonwealth Institute building.

David Lammy: The future of the Commonwealth Institute building has been the subject of discussions with a number of Government Departments and the Commonwealth Institute. On 6 June I met the chairman and chief executive of English Heritage and my officials have met representatives of the Twentieth Century Society. Additionally representations have been received from a number of other organisations.

Commonwealth Institute Building

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2006,  Official Report, column 788W, on the Commonwealth Institute building, what representations she has received from English Heritage on the future of the Commonwealth Institute building.

David Lammy: I met the chairman and chief executive of English Heritage on 6 June to discuss the Commonwealth Institute building. During that discussion English Heritage raised a number of concerns. The meeting was constructive and discussions are ongoing.

Departmental Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1408W, on departmental advisers, what the reason was for the increase in money spent on travel and subsistence for special advisers between  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

David Lammy: The increase in travel and subsistence expenditure over the last year is because the Department gained an additional Special Adviser, making three in total, in connection with the Secretary of State's additional responsibilities for Women, humanitarian assistance and the Olympics.

Ministerial Travel

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on foreign travel by her Department in each of the last eight years.

David Lammy: Departmental expenditure for overseas travel and subsistence by officials is shown in the table.
	Regarding Ministers' visits overseas, since 1999 the Government have published, on annual basis, the total cost of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. This information is available in the Library. Information for the financial year 2004-05 was published on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, 158WS. Information for the financial year 2005-06 is in the process of being collated and will be published shortly.
	All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.
	
		
			  Overseas travel and subsistence costs by officials 
			   £ 
			 2005-06(1) 289,007.64 
			 2004-05 279,710.59 
			 2003-04 235,210.16 
			 2002-03 195,442.41 
			 2001-02 129,164.75 
			 2000-01 188,337.76 
			 1999-2000 193,742.97 
			 1998-99 151,307.28 
			 (1) Subject to finalisation of the annual resource accounts.

Olympic Games

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 935W, on the 2012 Olympics, when she expects to announce the constituencies to be visited as part of the 2012 Olympics roadshow.

Richard Caborn: As soon as details of the roadshow itinerary are finalised, a list of the locations to be visited will be made available on the Department's website (www.culture.gov.uk). We expect this to be within the next week.

Taking Part Survey

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2006,  Official Report, column 483-84W, on activity levels, when the new national Taking Part survey first expects to report; and what criteria it will use to make an assessment of participation levels.

David Lammy: First results from the Taking Part survey were published on the Department's website on 15 December 2005.
	To date, three reports have been released on the survey results. These can be accessed at: http://www.culture.gov.uk/global/research/taking_part_survey/survey_ouputs. htm.
	Two of the reports released so far have provided provisional baselines on the Department's public service agreement target 3 (PSA3). The third report looked more generally at participation and attendance across activities within the Department's remit.
	For the two PSA3 reports participation levels are assessed against the definitions of the PSA3 target agreed with HM Treasury. These differ by type of activity and frequency for each sector. Full details are given in the technical note which is available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/about_dcms/publicservice agreements.htm.
	In the third more general report the same criteria have been used except for arts and sports sectors. Full details of this difference are included in the report which was published on 24 March 2006 showing provisional results from the first six months of the 2005-06 survey.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Asylum-seeking Children

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department takes to ensure that  (a) the Hillingdon Judgment and  (b) Local Authority Circular (2003)13 are applied by local authorities responsible for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department collects annual statistics through the National Data Collection exercise on the number of children, including unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), who become looked after and the age at which they cease to be looked after. These figures show how local authorities are supporting looked after children who are UASC.
	Adherence to the framework set by statute, regulations and guidance, including that relating to Local Authority Circular (2003)13, together with making appropriate responses to judicial review and other case law judgments, are matters that are the responsibility of local authorities.

Asylum-seeking Children

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available from central Government to support local authorities in the discharge of their obligations towards asylum seeking children.

Parmjit Dhanda: Since 2004-05, my Department established the UASC Leaving Care Grant to assist those authorities facing increased financial pressure arising from the impact of the Hillingdon Judgment. Local authorities which support substantial numbers of such young people are eligible to receive funding through the grant, to assist towards meeting the costs of supporting additional numbers of "former relevant children" under Section 23C of the Children Act 1989.
	In addition, the Home Office has, for a number of years, provided specific grant support to local authorities which support unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged under 18.

City Academies

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children who attended city academies in the latest period for which figures are available had been statemented for special educational needs, broken down by academy; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information is given in the table.
	Final figures for 2006 are expected to be available by the end of June.
	
		
			  Academies: number and percentage of pupils with statements of special educational needs (SEN)( 1) . Position in January each year: 2005 and 2006 (provisional). 
			2005  2006 (provisional) 
			  LA name  Establishment  name  Number (headcount) of pupils  Number (headcount) of pupils with statements of SEN  Percentage of school population with statements of SEN( 2)  Number (headcount) of pupils  Number (headcount) of pupils with statements of SEN  Percentage of school population with statements of SEN( 2) 
			 Barnet London Academy 1,199 53 4.4 1,252 53 4.2 
			 Bexley The Business Academy Bexley 1,379 76 5.5 1,013 51 5.0 
			 Bradford Dixons City Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 1,082 16 1.5 
			 Brent Capital City Academy 911 20 2.2 969 26 2.7 
			 Bristol, City of The City Academy Bristol 1,095 41 3.7 1,181 42 3.6 
			 Doncaster Trinity Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 1,233 29 2.4 
			 Baling West London Academy 1,129 26 2.3 847 24 2.8 
			 Greenwich St. Pauls Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 634 42 6.6 
			 Hackney Mossbourne Community Academy 218 9 4.1 423 21 5.0 
			 Haringey Greig City Academy, Haringey 712 5 0.7 (4)n/a (4)n/a (4)n/a 
			 Hillingdon Stockley Academy 584 19 3.3 669 10 1.5 
			 Hillingdon The Harefield Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 538 14 2.6 
			 Kent The Marlowe Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 559 16 2.9 
			 Lambeth Lambeth Academy 184 12 6.5 358 12 3.4 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 710 24 3.4 
			 Lewisham Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 1,334 23 1.7 
			 Liverpool The Academy of St. Francis of Assisi (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 567 7 1.2 
			 Manchester Manchester Academy 726 7 1.0 795 18 2.3 
			 Middlesbrough Macmillan Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 1,461 7 0.5 
			 Middlesbrough Unity City Academy 1,123 32 2.8 1,075 27 2.5 
			 Middlesbrough The King's Academy 1,042 95 9.1 1,097 94 8.6 
			 Northamptonshire Northampton Academy 1,244 33 2.7 1,281 41 3.2 
			 Nottingham Djanogly City Academy Nottingham 1,580 (5)? (5)? 1,628 (5)? (5)? 
			 Salford Salford City Academy (3)n/a (3)n/a (3)n/a 560 6 1.1 
			 Southwark City of London Academy (Southwark) 361 22 6.1 574 28 4.9 
			 Southwark The Academy at Peckham 1,079 39 3.6 1,132 49 4.3 
			 Walsall Walsall Academy 630 17 2.7 755 24 3.2 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (2) The number of pupils with statements of SEN expressed as a percentage of the school population.  (3) Not applicable.  (4) Not available. Provisional data, outstanding survey return.  (5) One or two pupils, or a rate based on one or two pupils.   Source:  Schools' Census

Degree Subjects

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many higher education institutions offered  (a) mathematics,  (b) physics,  (c) biology and  (d) chemistry-related degrees in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: The latest available data are shown in the following table. Data for the academic year 2005-06 will become available at the beginning of 2007.
	
		
			  Number of HE institutions with students enrolled on first degree courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology in 2003-04 and 2004-05 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			 Mathematical Sciences(1) 106 106 
			  Of which:   
			 Mathematics 105 102 
			
			 Physical Sciences(2) 116 116 
			  Of which:   
			 Physics 68 61 
			 Chemistry 82 80 
			
			 Biological Sciences(3) 125 125 
			  Of which:   
			 Biology 111 110 
			 (1) Mathematical Sciences include disciplines such as statistics and operational research in addition to mathematics courses. (2) Physical sciences include disciplines such as geography, geology, materials science, forensics and archaeology in addition to physics and chemistry courses. (3) Biological Sciences include disciplines such as microbiology, biochemistry and molecular biology in addition to biology courses.  Notes: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December each year.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Education and Skills occupies a total of five buildings in London, Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn, none of which fall short of disability access regulations.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Government Bills sponsored by his Department remain to be introduced during the 2005-06 session.

Parmjit Dhanda: None.

Primary Schools

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many primary schools there are in England with fewer than 100 pupils;
	(2)  how many primary schools there are with fewer than 100 pupils in each local education authority area.

Jim Knight: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools( 1, 2 ) : number of schools with less than 100 pupils( 3 ) as at January 2006( 4) 
			   Local authority area  
			  England 2,540 
			 201 City of London 0 
			 202 Camden 1 
			 203 Greenwich 0 
			 204 Hackney 0 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 
			 206 Islington 0 
			 207 Kensington and Chelsea 0 
			 208 Lambeth 0 
			 209 Lewisham 0 
			 210 Southwark 0 
			 211 Tower Hamlets 0 
			 212 Wandsworth 0 
			 213 Westminster 0 
			 301 Barking and Dagenham 0 
			 302 Barnet 1 
			 303 Bexley 0 
			 304 Brent 1 
			 305 Bromley 6 
			 306 Croydon 0 
			 307 Ealing 0 
			 308 Enfield 1 
			 309 Haringey 0 
			 310 Harrow 0 
			 311 Havering 0 
			 312 Hillingdon 0 
			 313 Hounslow 0 
			 314 Kingston upon Thames 0 
			 315 Merton 0 
			 316 Newham 0 
			 317 Redbridge 0 
			 318 Richmond upon Thames 0 
			 319 Sutton 0 
			 320 Waltham Forest 0 
			 330 Birmingham 2 
			 331 Coventry 0 
			 332 Dudley 0 
			 333 Sandwell 0 
			 334 Solihull 0 
			 335 Walsall 1 
			 336 Wolverhampton 1 
			 340 Knowsley 3 
			 341 Liverpool 3 
			 342 St. Helens 1 
			 343 Sefton 1 
			 344 Wirral 3 
			 350 Bolton 2 
			 351 Bury 3 
			 352 Manchester 1 
			 353 Oldham 2 
			 354 Rochdale 1 
			 355 Salford 1 
			 356 Stockport 0 
			 357 Tameside 2 
			 358 Trafford 0 
			 359 Wigan 2 
			 370 Barnsley 4 
			 371 Doncaster 2 
			 372 Rotherham 1 
			 373 Sheffield 2 
			 380 Bradford 4 
			 381 Calderdale 8 
			 382 Kirklees 18 
			 383 Leeds 5 
			 384 Wakefield 6 
			 390 Gateshead 5 
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne 2 
			 392 North Tyneside 0 
			 393 South Tyneside 2 
			 394 Sunderland 0 
			 420 Isles of Scilly 0 
			 800 Bath and North East Somerset 10 
			 801 Bristol, City of 6 
			 802 North Somerset 9 
			 803 South Gloucestershire 10 
			 805 Hartlepool 1 
			 806 Middlesbrough 0 
			 807 Redcar and Cleveland 1 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees 2 
			 810 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 3 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire 37 
			 812 North East Lincolnshire 1 
			 813 North Lincolnshire 13 
			 815 North Yorkshire 164 
			 816 York 3 
			 820 Bedfordshire 46 
			 821 Luton 1 
			 825 Buckinghamshire 42 
			 826 Milton Keynes 15 
			 830 Derbyshire 109 
			 831 Derby 1 
			 835 Dorset 31 
			 836 Poole 0 
			 837 Bournemouth 0 
			 840 Durham 59 
			 841 Darlington 1 
			 845 East Sussex 26 
			 846 Brighton and Hove 0 
			 850 Hampshire 42 
			 851 Portsmouth 2 
			 852 Southampton 4 
			 855 Leicestershire 57 
			 856 Leicester 0 
			 857 Rutland 4 
			 860 Staffordshire 64 
			 861 Stoke-on-Trent 1 
			 865 Wiltshire 58 
			 866 Swindon 1 
			 867 Bracknell Forest 0 
			 868 Windsor and Maidenhead 5 
			 869 West Berkshire 15 
			 870 Reading 1 
			 871 Slough 0 
			 872 Wokingham 2 
			 873 Cambridgeshire 23 
			 874 Peterborough 0 
			 875 Cheshire 43 
			 876 Halton 3 
			 877 Warrington 2 
			 878 Devon 125 
			 879 Plymouth 1 
			 880 Torbay 1 
			 881 Essex 51 
			 882 Southend-on-Sea 0 
			 883 Thurrock 1 
			 884 Herefordshire 40 
			 885 Worcestershire 52 
			 886 Kent 55 
			 887 Medway 2 
			 888 Lancashire 96 
			 889 Blackburn with Darwen 2 
			 890 Blackpool 0 
			 891 Nottinghamshire 44 
			 892 Nottingham 3 
			 893 Shropshire 55 
			 894 Telford and Wrekin 2 
			 908 Cornwall 93 
			 909 Cumbria 120 
			 916 Gloucestershire 66 
			 919 Hertfordshire 34 
			 921 Isle of Wight 14 
			 925 Lincolnshire 91 
			 926 Norfolk 137 
			 928 Northamptonshire 52 
			 929 Northumberland 67 
			 931 Oxfordshire 61 
			 933 Somerset 76 
			 935 Suffolk 85 
			 936 Surrey 44 
			 937 Warwickshire 17 
			 938 West Sussex 37 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Provisional data—returns from six primary schools are known to be outstanding. No estimate has been made for missing data. (3) Based on the full-time equivalent number of pupils. Part-time pupils are counted as 0.5. (4) Provisional  Source:  Schools' Census

Science Courses (Higher and Further Education)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many science courses have been available in  (a) higher and  (b) further education establishments in each year since 1997 in (i) England, (ii) each English region and (iii) the Tees Valley.

Bill Rammell: Information on the numbers of courses offered by institutions is not held centrally. The following tables show the number of students enrolled on science courses since 1997.
	
		
			  Undergraduate students( 1 ) enrolled on science courses( 2)  Government Office Region( 3 ) 1997-98 to 2004-05 
			  Region of institution  1997-98  1998-99 
			 North 27,970 29,850 
			 North West 62,540 66,125 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 51,645 54,420 
			 East Midlands 36,450 37,350 
			 West Midlands 44,090 45,300 
			 East Anglia 9,165 9,765 
			 South East 79,960 79,645 
			 South West 36,235 38,170 
			 Greater London 81,760 83,735 
			 Total English Regions 429,815 444,360 
			 The Tees Valley 6,005 5,740 
		
	
	
		
			  Region of institution  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 North East 30,435 31,600 31,090 34,740 36,130 36,285 
			 North West 68,570 70,760 71,000 77,570 82,135 81,925 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 55,725 56,095 56,105 64,210 62,235 62,320 
			 East Midlands 36,190 37,345 38,410 42,850 46,895 46,470 
			 West Midlands 46,315 47,995 49,500 54,595 57,415 57,350 
			 Eastern 33,890 33,065 34,680 39,900 39,095 42,080 
			 South East 52,620 53,370 54,200 59,815 103,220 110,420 
			 South West 38,770 39,785 41,330 45,010 47,355 47,550 
			 Greater London 89,715 93,975 98,040 105,845 106,410 109,870 
			 Total English Regions 452,230 463,990 474,360 524,540 580,885 594,270 
			 The Tees Valley 7,310 9,020 8,450 10,360 11,070 10,655 
			 (1) Based on a snapshot count of students, as at 1 December each year.  (2) A new method of allocating students to subject groups was introduced in 2002-03, the main effect of which was to increase the number of students allocated to specific named subjects and decrease the number of students allocated to "Combined Subject" courses. This will have contributed to the rise in science enrolments between 2001-02 and 2002-03. Science includes medicine/dentistry, subjects allied to medicine, biological sciences, veterinary sciences, veterinary science, agriculture, physical sciences, mathematical sciences, computer science, engineering/technology and architecture.  (3) The classification of Government Office regions was revised in 2000-01. Merseyside has been included with the north west.   Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	
		
			  Learning Aim Enrolments in FE in Science and Mathematics Area of Learning for 2002-03 to 2004-05 
			  Enrolments by Region  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 National Office 25,394 716 674 
			 East England 50,529 41,182 38,906 
			 East Midlands 39,945 30,263 29,877 
			 Greater London 86,676 72,696 64,060 
			 North-East 35,756 30,567 27,992 
			 North-West 85,789 75,601 68,740 
			 South-East 81,984 71,333 69,410 
			 South-West 42,660 38,143 40,495 
			 West Midlands 70,339 58,726 54,783 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 52,353 50,926 45,789 
			 National Total 571,425 47U.153 440,726 
			 National Total—All FE Enrolments —All Subjects 8,249,256 7,872,271 7,845,818 
		
	
	
		
			  Enrolments at Tees Valley Local LSC 
			 2002-03 Tees Valley 14,669 
			 2003-04 Tees Valley 12,515 
			 2004-05 Tees Valley 12,475 
			  Note:  FE learning aim enrolments on aims classified as being in the 'Science and Mathematics' area of learning are given. Area of Learning is used rather than sector subject area as there are more historical data using this classification. Local office classification is based on the relation between providers and their lead LLSC. Data are not supplied for prior to 2002-03 as the definitions of programme areas and how to count learners changed at that point.   Source:  Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Individualised Learner Record 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05

Student Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have contacted the Student Loans Company with queries relating to student loans due to a change in employer in the tax year for each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The information requested is not available. While the Student Loans Company does record information at individual account level, it is unable to break down the total number of contacts from borrowers to this level of detail.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to cut carbon dioxide emissions; and how regularly those steps will be reported on.

Ian Pearson: We announced on 12 June that we are taking another important step when it comes to greening Government, by committing to make by 2012 the Government office estate carbon neutral and committing to reduce Government's total emissions from buildings by 30 per cent.
	This action is consistent with the new UK climate change programme, published in March 2006, which sets out the Government's commitments at international and domestic levels to meeting the challenges of climate change. It also includes a commitment to introduce a new annual report to Parliament on the level of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK and the steps the Government have been taking to reduce these. The first report is expected to be issued in spring 2007.
	The UK's climate change programme 2006 is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/ukccp06-all. pdf.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he will reply to the letter of 16 March from the hon. Member for Aylesbury to the former Minister of State for Environment and Agri-Environment about climate change on behalf of Mr. T. R. of Princes Risborough.

Ian Pearson: I apologise for the delay in replying to the hon. Gentleman's letter. A response will be issued shortly.

Departmental Blog

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the start-up cost was for his departmental blog; how much he expects the blog to cost each year; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The initial start-up costs for the Secretary of State's blog were met by the then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Costs of transferring the blog to DEFRA (including design, text and administration changes) have amounted to approximately £1,250. Ongoing costs for hosting and support would amount to some £900 a year on the current basis. There will be further ongoing administrative costs, consisting of a percentage of an existing member of staff's time.

Electrical Goods

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to promote and support the use of dynamic power management devices in fridges, freezers and other electrical household white goods.

Ian Pearson: The Government are aware that a number of dynamic demand control devices have been or are being developed by manufacturers as a potential means for reducing the peak load demand on the power grid.
	We are currently investigating, via a small scale test carried out by the Market Transformation Programme (MTP), what effect these devices have on the operation of cold appliances.
	For further information on the MTP, please go to: http://www.mtprog.com/

Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the  (a) 5 A Day and  (b) school fruit and vegetable scheme.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The annual Food Standards Agency's consumer attitudes survey is used to track 5 A DAY awareness and consumption. The survey shows knowledge of the 5 A DAY message has increased from 43 per cent. in 2000 to 67 per cent. in 2005, while those claiming to have eaten at least five portions of fruit and vegetables the previous day has risen from 26 per cent. in 2000 to 30 per cent. in 2005.
	The national foundation for educational research (NFER), in partnership with Leeds University, was commissioned by the Big Lottery Fund to carry out an evaluation of the school fruit and vegetable scheme. Results published in September 2005 demonstrated that children ate significantly more fruit while participating in the scheme. The results showed that increased consumption of fruit was not sustained when children's participation in the scheme came to an end. However, there was some evidence of increased knowledge of healthy eating, particularly in children from deprived areas.
	We will be working to integrate the scheme more closely with other healthy eating initiatives in schools, to provide opportunities to maintain the behaviour change achieved by participation in the scheme.

Fungaflor

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when a replacement for Fungaflor will be licensed for use in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 892W.

Home Energy Conservation

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to review the guidelines to energy conservation authorities on complying with the requirements of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995, as set out in paragraph 9.24 of the 2003 Energy White Paper; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: We welcome the progress that local authorities have made in delivering their Home Energy Conservation Act reports to date. However, we recognise that more needs to be done in order to make further progress and have committed to reviewing the existing guidance and identifying how improvements can be made. The review will be launched this summer and will be concluded by the end of this year.

Hydroschemes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria the Environment Agency uses to assess the environmental consequences of hydroschemes; what conclusion it came to on the Littlecombe site, Dursley; and on what basis.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency assesses each scheme on its own merits and has produced a guidance document entitled "Hydropower—A Handbook for Agency Staff", which is available to the public on request. It contains guidance for developers on the type of information they should consider as part of their responsibility to take account of the potential environmental impacts of hydroschemes.
	The Environment Agency has not reached a conclusion about hydropower at the Littlecombe site, Dursley. Although it has discussed hydropower and what the developers would need to consider, the Agency has not yet received specific details or a consultation.

Water Framework Directive

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made by the Environment Agency in establishing river basin district liaison panels; and who are expected to be appointed as panel members.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency is in the process of establishing River Basin District Liaison Panels as part of stakeholder engagement and partnership working under the Water Framework Directive. The agency is putting in place one Liaison Panel for each River Basin District in England. Each panel will comprise the key organisations who are responsible for implementation, and others who can represent the public interest and help in driving behavioural change.

Water Services

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to generate competition in water services.

Ian Pearson: The Water Act 2003 introduced competition in water supply for large users. Licensed water suppliers are now able to compete with statutory water companies to supply customers with a consumption of at least 50 million litres per year. The Act provides a mechanism to alter the customer consumption threshold. A review of the threshold will take place in 2008 to consider the impact of the regime on drinking water quality, environmental protection, customer service and prices for eligible and other customers.

Water Services

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for  (a) setting leak reduction targets and  (b) monitoring performance against those targets in the south east; and what assessment his Department has undertaken of the financial and technical tests used to monitor the performance of water companies.

Ian Pearson: Leakage targets are set and monitored by the Economic Regulator, Ofwat. They require water companies to compare the cost of reducing leakage and the value of the water saved, including any associated environmental and social costs and benefits.
	In March 2003, the tripartite group of Defra, the Environment Agency and Ofwat published the report, "Future approaches to leakage target setting for water companies in England and Wales". This sets out the best practice principles in the economic level of leakage calculation. Ofwat assesses the water companies' economic levels of leakage analyses against these principles.
	As well as analysing the companies' economic assessments, Ofwat also monitors their annual performance in managing leakage. This is done through an annual submission to Ofwat known as the June Return. Through this return the companies provide a full reconciliation of how all treated water put into supply is used, including the volume lost to leakage.

Water Services

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what powers water companies have to take action against those people who are observed to be wasting water; and whether there are proposals for further such powers.

Ian Pearson: Water companies have powers under section 75 of the Water Industry Act 1991 and within the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 to take action if they consider water supplied by the company is being wasted or is likely to be wasted. There are no current proposals for further such powers.

Water Services

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether provision has been made for transporting excess water in the North to the South and South East.

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what research his Department has undertaken into the costs of  (a) a national grid for water and  (b) moving water through river systems;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the cost of moving water between water authorities.

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the cost of establishing a national water grid.

Ian Pearson: The concept of a national water grid has been raised many times in the last 30 years and was has never been considered remotely viable. It was most recently discussed at the Secretary of State's meeting on 1 June with representatives of water companies and the water industry regulators. It was rejected by all those present on the grounds of its disproportionate and unjustifiable cost, both for the environment and for water bills, compared with the benefits such a grid could deliver. This stance was informed by a recent desk study undertaken by the Environment Agency, which will be published later this summer.
	A good deal of water is already transferred within water companies' areas of operation to give individual companies greater flexibility to meet local shortages. Longer distance links have long been established between, for example, Wales and the West Midlands and South East Lancashire, the Lake District and Lancashire, and from the Fenland watercourses to Essex.
	The Environment Agency, in consultation with Ofwat, is able to propose to a water company that it enters into a bulk supply agreement with another water company, where it is necessary to secure the proper use of water resources.

Water Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) maximum usable water volume and  (b) actual usable volume for water in each water supply company region was in each financial year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: The Water Services Regulation Authority (publicly known as Ofwat) publish data annually on the amount of water supplied by water companies.
	Maximum usable water volumes are best indicated by the distribution input (total volume of drinking water put into the supply system per day). Actual usable water volumes are best indicated by the water delivered (total volume of drinking water delivered per day). Figures for each water supply company region in each financial year since 1997-98, in megalitres per day, were reported as follows:
	
		
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Anglian 
			 Water delivered 1027 1002 1000 987 986 1000 1001 990 
			 Distribution input 1200 1146 1140 1134 1159 1150 1174 1163 
			  
			  Dwr Cymru 
			 Water delivered 715 695 681 682 674 676 670 667 
			 Distribution input 987 949 930 899 894 883 876 869 
			  
			  United Utilities 
			 Water delivered 1610 1560 1548 1554 1559 1573 1599 1551 
			 Distribution input 2083 1977 1947 1935 1933 1952 1984 1953 
			  
			  Northumbrian North 
			 Water delivered 657 654 634 634 631 618 609 599 
			 Distribution input 789 111 758 750 754 736 732 719 
			  
			  Northumbrian South 
			 Water delivered 437 431 432 421 431 427 439 425 
			 Distribution input 492 480 478 466 476 465 481 464 
			  
			  Severn Trent 
			 Water delivered 1632 1632 1645 1634 1637 1612 1655 1626 
			 Distribution input 1918 1869 1878 1868 1870 1929 1967 1925 
			  
			  South West 
			 Water delivered 374 366 364 356 372 375 390 394 
			 Distribution input 445 434 431 429 445 447 459 456 
			  
			  Southern 
			 Water delivered 531 520 518 514 528 524 527 513 
			 Distribution input 603 588 585 578 598 595 599 586 
			  
			  Thames 
			 Water delivered 1982 1892 2049 2089 2107 2141 2179 2140 
			 Distribution input 2665 2481 2553 2600 2765 2842 2874 2809 
			  
			  Wessex 
			 Water delivered 310 304 304 302 308 306 318 313 
			 Distribution input 402 387 376 373 374 368 379 372 
			  
			  Yorkshire 
			 Water delivered 1042 1013 1031 1032 1070 1059 1061 1055 
			 Distribution input 1338 1285 1283 1274 1307 1299 1297 1287 
			  
			  Bournemouth and W. Hampshire 
			 Water delivered 139 134 141 138 138 141 148 147 
			 Distribution input 158 154 158 154 154 158 165 164 
			  
			  Bristol 
			 Water delivered 263 255 250 248 252 246 247 241 
			 Distribution input 308 301 292 289 297 292 293 287 
			  Cambridge 
			 Water delivered 63 61 61 61 62 63 65 65 
			 Distribution input 73 71 70 71 72 73 75 75 
			  
			  Dee Valley 
			 Water delivered 63 63 63 62 62 63 63 61 
			 Distribution input 71 71 71 70 69 70 69 68 
			  
			  Folkestone and Dover 
			 Water delivered 46 43 43 43 45 44 44 40 
			 Distribution input 52 49 49 49 51 50 50 46 
			  
			  Mid Kent 
			 Water delivered 140 139 142 138 139 138 145 143 
			 Distribution input 164 159 161 156 158 157 166 163 
			  
			  Portsmouth 
			 Water delivered 153 151 158 154 158 156 165 159 
			 Distribution input 177 174 181 176 179 177 186 180 
			  
			  South East 
			 Water delivered 310 306 316 315 320 322 343 339 
			 Distribution input 394 382 387 378 375 376 394 391 
			  
			  South Staffs 
			 Water delivered 285 276 275 278 283 281 287 279 
			 Distribution input 344 331 330 329 334 331 338 332 
			  
			  Sutton and East Surrey 
			 Water delivered 141 137 139 138 145 145 154 146 
			 Distribution input 157 152 154 153 160 160 169 161 
			  
			  Tendring Hundred 
			 Water delivered 27 25 25 25 25 26 26 26 
			 Distribution input 32 30 30 30 30 30 31 30 
			  
			  Three Valleys 
			 Water delivered 714 705 721 738 768 765 801 780 
			 Distribution input 832 811 816 829 871 864 899 877

Wild Boar

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is regarding the hunting of wild boar; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: There are no specific legal restrictions on shooting wild boar. However, the person doing the shooting must be authorised to do so on the land concerned, have an appropriate firearms certificate, and comply with other relevant firearms provisions.
	Wild boar are feral animals, with general protection under the Protection of Animals Act 1911. This protects captive animals (including animals in traps) against unnecessary suffering, and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 offers further protection against specific cruel acts, such as "impaling", "stabbing" or "beating".
	A public consultation on future strategies for managing wild boar in England concluded on 6 January 2006. The consultation documents are available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/wild-boar /index.htm
	Responses to the consultation will help to formulate a long term management policy to be announced later this year.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much import duty has been charged on goods entering Ascension Island in each year since 1976.

Geoff Hoon: Import duty on goods entering Ascension Island has only been levied since the introduction of a system of taxation in April 2002. Since that time total duties collected in each year are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Tobacco 0 76,751 79,114 81,007 
			 Alcohol 335,607 246,509 174,910 230,100 
			 Fuel 72,000 73,500 74,165 (1)74,429 
			 Total 407,607 396,760 328,189 385,537 
			 Grand total 1,518,093 
			 (1) 2005-06 subject to year end adjustments.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much export duty has been charged on goods leaving Ascension Island in each year since 1976.

Geoff Hoon: None. Ascension Island levies no export duty.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2006,  Official Report, column 185W, on Ascension Island, if she will place a copy of the Workmen's Protection (Ascension) Ordinance in the Library.

Geoff Hoon: A copy of the Workmen's Protection (Ascension) Ordinance has been placed in the Library of the House.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many sites on Ascension Island"no longer necessary for the purpose of the operation of the Long Range Proving Ground",as set out in Article IV (Provision of Sites), point 1, of the Bahamas Agreement 1956, the UK Government have ceased to provide for that purpose since 1976.

Geoff Hoon: Two. The United States' use of the "National Aeronautics Space Administration" site ceased in the early 1990s. Part of that site was then re-released and renamed in 1997. It was finally relinquished in March 2001.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will list the acquisitions that have taken place on Ascension Island since 1976 of private property to allow rights of way to the United States Administration as permitted in Article III (Rights of Way) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.

Geoff Hoon: There have been no acquisitions on Ascension Island since 1976 of property to allow rights of way to the United States Administration as permitted in Article III (Rights of Way) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many motor vehicles belonging to the United States Administration not used for purposes connected directly with the establishment, maintenance or use of the Long Range Proving Ground have paid taxes or fees relating to registration or licensing for use on Ascension Island since 1976 under Article XIII (Motor Vehicle Taxes) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Base Leases (United States)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which bases leased to the United States as listed in Treaty Series No. 2 (1941) Cmd. 6259 and Treaty Series No. 65 (1950) Cmd. 8076 are still leased to the United States.

Geoff Hoon: None. In 2002 the Government and the Government of the United States terminated the 1941 Leased Bases Agreement.

Burma

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to secure a binding resolution on Burma at the United Nations Security Council; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We support all action by the United Nations which will help initiate a genuine process of democratic reform in Burma. We therefore support current proposals for a substantive discussion of Burma at the United Nations Security Council which we hope will lead to a resolution.

Coalition Information Centre

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many individuals are employed in the Coalition Information Centre; and what the budget was for this unit in each year since 2001.

Kim Howells: The Coalition Information Centre (CIC) was formed in October 2001 and later changed its title to the Government Communication and Operations Centre. The unit had nine to 10 staff for most of its existence, rising briefly to some 28 during the Iraq conflict, before being wound up in May 2003. The majority of costs were staff salaries, paid by staff members home departments. Other costs covered accommodation and infrastructure and these were absorbed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Total budgets could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on  (a) support for victims of rape, (b) prosecution of rapists and  (c) prevention of further rapes.

Ian McCartney: The UK frequently raises with the Congolese Government our concerns about wide scale sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In February, we and international partners formally presented President Kabila with a dossier cataloguing major abuses carried out by Congolese armed forces, including rape and sexual violence. We demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. A UK-drafted Resolution on DRC adopted at last year's United Nations General Assembly made clear that the Congolese Government must act decisively to reduce sexual violence.
	We are supporting humanitarian agencies in providing medical assistance to victims of sexual violence, particularly in Eastern DRC. This includes funding the construction of a new wing at a hospital in South Kivu that treats rape victims. We also support the International Committee of the Red Cross's Gender Based Violence pilot programme. Through our local peace-building programme, we aim to tackle the underlying causes of sexual violence.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff in her Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

Geoff Hoon: Under the Department's performance improvement procedures introduced in October 2004, unacceptable performance has to be addressed as soon as it occurs rather than waiting for the appraisal cycle to complete. Central records record cases of poor performance current at the end of the appraisal year. The number of staff who did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report over the past three years was as follows:
	
		
			   Number of staff  Percentage 
			 2002-03 47 0.7 
			 2003-04 37 0.6 
			 2004-05 21 0.4 
		
	
	Annual report markings for 2005-06 financial year are not yet available.
	Rigorous Performance Management is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's management priorities. New training for all senior managers in performance management was introduced in the last year.

India

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the attack on two Christian women in Nadia Village, Madhya Pradesh, India by Hindu extremists.

Kim Howells: We are aware of media reports of this attack. We understand from our high commission in New Delhi that the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Balram Jhakar, met the victims and has asked the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police to send him details of the incidents and a report on action taken. The case has also been registered with the police. Our high commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor the situation.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence there is of continuing direct help from the Government of Sudan to the Janjaweed.

Ian McCartney: We believe that the Government of Sudan continues to have close contacts with the leaders of the so-called Janjaweed and to tolerate their activities. The UN Secretary General's report on Darfur on 19 May this year made several references to armed tribesmen supporting the Sudan armed forces in attacks against civilians in Darfur.
	Under the Darfur Peace Agreement the Government of Sudan must draw up a plan to disarm the Janjaweed and to implement it within six months. We call on them to do so.

Sudan

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to help prevent the spread of Janjaweed attacks from Darfur into Chad.

Ian McCartney: We are aware that Chadian rebels and Darfur militia continue to mount cross-border attacks into Eastern Chad from Darfur, which has led to the displacement of 50,000 Chadians. We are also aware of reports of Darfur rebels continuing to be supported by Chad. We are pressing the Government of Sudan to neutralise and disarm the Janjaweed and expel foreign fighters from Darfur as soon as possible, as required under the Darfur Peace Agreement. We are also pressing both Governments to fulfil their obligations under the Tripoli Agreement.

Uganda

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps  (a) the Government and  (b) the international community are taking towards bringing the conflict in Uganda to an end; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The UK, along with other members of the international community, is strongly supportive of efforts to resolve the long-running Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and address the humanitarian problems in northern Uganda.
	The UN has an important role to play. The UK was actively involved in securing the two recent UN Security Council Resolutions, 1653 and 1663, which have condemned the activities of militias and illegal armed groups such as the LRA.
	The UK is encouraging the Ugandan Government to accept the appointment of a Special Envoy on the LRA. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development raised this with President Museveni on 16 May when they discussed the role a special envoy could play in achieving greater regional co-operation on the LRA issue.
	We have welcomed the establishment by the Government of Uganda of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) to improve the humanitarian situation in northern Uganda. The JMC is currently developing an action plan to take this work forward and our high commissioner in Kampala and Department for International Development Uganda are both closely involved in this.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of the Movement Act in Uganda on  (a) the February 2006 multi-party elections and  (b) its implication for the Ugandan multi-party political system; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 345W, and to the reply given by the former Minister for Trade my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz), on 6 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1179W.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response she has received from the Uganda authorities to the written statement of 29 May 2005 regarding  (a) establishment of the rules for multi-party competition and  (b) separation of the organs of state from the Movement in (i) law and (ii) practice; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: On 29 April 2005 our high commission in Kampala issued a press release which reaffirmed the elements we considered necessary to achieving a legitimate process of political and constitutional change in Uganda. These included establishment of the rules for multi-party competition and separation of the organs of state from the Movement in law and practice.
	In that statement we made clear that we were concerned by several aspects of the transition, including that insufficient progress had been made towards establishing a fair basis for a multi-party system. We therefore decided then to withhold £5 million of budget support (out of a total of £40 million for the financial year).
	We have not received, nor would we expect to, a formal response to our press release. We have of course maintained a high-level dialogue with the Government of Uganda on all aspects of the transition to a multi-party system in the run up to the multi-party elections in February 2006. I will arrange for a copy of the statement to be placed in the Library of the House.

Whaling

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) she and  (b) her predecessor has had with Ministers from countries which are members of the Commonwealth on whaling; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: Whaling is not part of the Commonwealth agenda and was not raised at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting last year.
	Australia and New Zealand share the UK's view of whaling and co-operate bilaterally at official level.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Tax

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average level of council tax has been in rural areas in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Phil Woolas: The average level of band D council tax in rural areas since 1997-98 is tabled as follows. A district is classified as a rural area if it falls within category "Rural-50" or "Rural-80" of the rural definition and local authority classification published by Defra in 2005 (www.statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp).
	
		
			   £ 
			 1997-98 715 
			 1998-99 740 
			 1999-2000 796 
			 2000-01 850 
			 2001-02 904 
			 2002-03 994 
			 2003-04 1,127 
			 2004-05 1,198 
			 2005-06 1,248 
			 2006-07 1,288

Council Tax

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the additional council tax revenue raised by local authorities as a result of setting second home council tax discounts lower than 50 per cent. in 2005-06.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) on 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1803W.

Fire Services College

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Fire Services College provides  (a) training courses and  (b) access to the college's library and online information and development resources to fire services in (i) the Crown dependencies, (ii) overseas territories, (iii) the Republic of Ireland and (iv) Commonwealth countries; and how much is charged by the college for those services to fire services in each category.

Angela Smith: The primary customer of the Fire Service College is the United Kingdom fire and rescue service. It has provided training to representatives from the categories of countries listed as follows: Crown dependencies and overseas territories, the Republic of Ireland and Commonwealth countries.
	Charges for training are a commercial matter for the Fire Service College. It will depend on the number of people to be trained, the requirements of the course and the duration of training.
	On-site access to the Library and Information Resource Centre (LIRC) is available to all staff and students (including all overseas students on study courses) of the Fire Service College. The Library and Information Resource Centre has Membership options for UK and Republic of Ireland Fire and Rescue Services, corporate and individual customers, and organisational membership can cost between £260 and £600 per year, depending on the size of the organisation and the services provided. It does not currently offer memberships to other overseas customers.

Foreign Travel

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on foreign travel by her Department and its predecessors in each of the last eight years.

Angela Smith: The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and the new Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) were created following the machinery of government changes on 29 May 2002 and 5 May 2006, respectively. The following table sets out the total expenditure on foreign travel for the former ODPM and DCLG (excluding the Government offices). Details of expenditure by predecessor Departments prior to the 2002-03 financial year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2002-03 251,162 
			 2003-04 241,014 
			 2004-05 245,360 
			 2005-06 377,623 
			 2006-07 (to date) 29,129 
		
	
	All travel by civil servants and Ministers is conducted in accordance with requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code and Travel.

Housing Development

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to prevent excessive land banking by housing developers.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Barker Review of Housing Supply considered the issue of land banking in assessing competition in house building, and did not find evidence of excessive land banking by house builders.
	The Review did make recommendations designed to make the planning system, and its arrangements for releasing land for housing, more responsive to demand, in the interests of improving housing affordability. Draft Planning Policy Statement 3 published earlier this year is designed to achieve these objectives.
	The Office of Fair Trading periodically reviews the house building sector. If there is evidence of anti-competitive behaviour which was against the consumer, including excessive land banking by house builders, OFT may consider the case for a reference to the Competition Commission.
	The Department is concerned to ensure that there is proper competition in the house building sector and that land banking or the holding of options do not operate as a barrier to entry. We are continuing to keep this under review to ensure that greater land supply results in increased house building.

Local Strategic Partnerships

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the powers available to local strategic partnerships.

Yvette Cooper: LSPs, outside those areas receiving neighbourhood renewal funding, are currently entirely voluntary and therefore do not have any powers of their own.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now Department for Communities and Local Government) undertook a consultation "Local Strategic Partnerships: Shaping their Future" from December 2005 to March 2006 which looked at the future of all LSPs, focusing on their role, accountability and capacity. As part of this consultation we proposed formalising the role of LSPs and ensuring the involvement of key agencies through establishing duties to co-operate with the local authority on named local delivery agencies. The results of the consultation are now being evaluated and decisions on whether this legislative option will be pursued will need to be taken in due course.

Local Strategic Partnerships

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local strategic partnerships are chaired by  (a) an hon. Member,  (b) a councillor,  (c) a directly-elected mayor and  (d) a representative from the (i) public sector, (ii) voluntary sector and (iii) business sector.

Phil Woolas: Outside areas receiving neighbourhood renewal funding, LSPs are voluntary partnerships and hence are not monitored on an individual basis by the Department. However, we do evaluate all LSPs on a national basis and therefore are able to give indicative answers to these questions. The last evaluation of LSPs was conducted in 2004 (National Evaluation of Local Strategic Partnerships: Report on the 2004 Survey of all English LSPs ODPM 2005). This indicated the following split in LSP chairs:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Elected members 46 
			 Local authority officers 7 
			 Other public sector agency officers 16 
			 Private sector representative 11 
			 Voluntary and community representative 11 
		
	
	The question as to whether MPs or directly-elected mayors chaired LSPs was not specifically asked.

Portland PR

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings officials in her Department have had with representatives of the public relations company Portland PR; what contracts Portland PR has with her Department and agencies for which she has responsibility; and what the nature of the contract is in each case.

Angela Smith: There is no record of any meetings between Department for Communities and Local Government Officials and representatives of Portland PR.

Public Sector (Funding)

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from her Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The Department of Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2006. Formerly this Department was the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which was formed in May 2002.
	The following lists in alphabetical order the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest payments from the Department in financial years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	 2003-04
	Ashdown House Ltd.
	Balfour Kilpatrick Ltd.
	BNFL plc Instruments
	Building Research Establishment
	Carat Ltd.
	Land Securities Properties Ltd.
	Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
	Professional Protection Systems.
	Regus (UK) Ltd.
	Respirex International
	 2004-05
	Ashdown House Ltd.
	Building Research Establishment
	Carat Ltd.
	Land Securities Properties Ltd.
	Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
	Mitie Managed Services Southern
	National telecommunications Ltd.
	PA Consulting Group
	Regus (UK) Ltd.
	Scout Solutions Projects Ltd.
	 2005-06
	Ashdown House Ltd.
	Carat Ltd.
	Hytrans Systems
	John Dennis Coachbuilders
	Land Securities Properties Ltd.
	Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd.
	Mitie Managed Services Southern
	Mott Macdonald Ltd.
	PA Consulting Group
	Serco Government Consulting
	Information for 2002-03 was recorded jointly with the Department for Transport and expenditure figures cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.

Right to Buy

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on whether sections 185 and 187 of the Housing Act 2004 apply to right to buy purchases completed prior to January 2005.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer12 June 2006
	The Department issued a letter to local authorities on 18 January 2005 providing guidance on the changes to the right to buy under the Housing Act 2004, including the application of sections 185 and 187. No further guidance has been issued.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Gerson Report

Peter Viggers: To ask the Solicitor-General how many civil servants were employed in the Law Officers' Departments before the Gershon Report; what net reductions are proposed in the Gershon Report; how many reductions have been made; and how many civil servants are expected to be employed in the Law Officers' Departments in the Gershon target month of April 2008.

Mike O'Brien: It is unclear whether the hon. Member includes in his request the CPS. The information requested on the numbers of civil servants employed in the Law Officers' Departments is given in the following table which includes the CPS:
	
		
			  Department  Numbers employed before the Gershon Report  Net reduction proposed in the Gershon Report  Reductions already made  Number expected to be employed in April 2008 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 7,336 0 0 8,249 
			 Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office Established 18 May 2005(1) 
			 Serious Fraud Office 264 0 0 (2)— 
			 Treasury Solicitor's Office (including Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate) 816 36 10 780 
		
	
	RCPO replaced the former Customs and Excise Prosecutions Office which was required to reduce 10 posts. It achieved this through natural wastage in 2004-05(1)
	SFO staff numbers have risen to 330 employees to date in accordance with staffing plans agreed in Spending Review 2004. There was no headcount target for April 2008(2).
	The increase in CPS staff reflects agreed additional resources to improve performance by delivering the new statutory charging scheme, the No Witness, No Justice initiative, by recovering more criminal assets and extending the use of CPS advocates in the Crown and magistrates courts.
	TSol continues to recruit staff as business demand continues to grow but the introduction of efficiencies ensures that the growth in headcount is lower than the growth in business.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General what the total cost was of  (a) staff away-days and  (b) staff team-building exercises in his Department in each of the last three years.

Mike O'Brien: The Law Officers' Departments are committed to developing their staff to their full potential and to the benefits that are achieved from holding away-days and team-building exercises. However, identifying details of such expenditure for the many offices of the Crown Prosecution Service would incur disproportionate cost. Figures for the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) in 2003-04 to 2005-06 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Department  Awaydays  Team-building  Awaydays  Team-building  Awayday  Team-building 
			 RCPO(1) — — — — 5,310 995 
			 SFO 0 0 19,269 0 0 0 
			 TSol 12,478 0 52,763 0 11,535 0 
			 HMCPSI 20,785 0 16,632 0 15,470 0 
			 Attorney-General's Office 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) RCPO was established 18 April 2005.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the Access to Work budget for the last five years has been claimed by organisations in Stoke-on-Trent, North.

Anne McGuire: Access to Work funds individuals and not organisations. The information requested is not available. However, the Access to Work spend for all customers is in the following table.
	
		
			  Access to Work actual spend for all customers in the West Midlands 
			   Spend in £ 
			 2002-03 5,125,978 
			 2003-04 4,859,918 
			 2004-05 5,007,797 
			 2005-06 4,193,397

Access to Work

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much his Department plans to spend on the Access to Work scheme in each year to 2010;
	(2)  how he plans to extend the Access to Work scheme.

Anne McGuire: Access to Work spend has increased from £14.6 million in 1997-98 to £59.5 million in 2004-05. DWP has allocated £62 million in 2006-07 for Access to Work, and this programme is now helping some 32,000 disabled people to move into or retain jobs they might otherwise lose because of their disability.
	No decisions on funding have been made beyond 2006-07.
	Last month I asked Jobcentre Plus to withdraw Access to Work funding in respect of people directly employed by Government Departments. The Departments will still be able to use Access to Work expertise in determining appropriate workplace adjustments, however, the adjustments will be funded from their own resources. This decision will take effect from October 2006 and is in line with practice in my Department since 2003 and with the recommendations of the Prime Minister's strategy unit report 'Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People'.
	The savings realised by this change will be re-invested in the programme, and, as a result of this change, support for disabled people will be more greatly focused towards those disabled people who work for small and medium sized employers.

Benefit Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were  (a) convicted and  (b) acquitted of benefit fraud offences in each of the last three years, broken down by type of offence; how many of those convicted of each type of offence in each year were sentenced to (i) immediate custody and (ii) other disposals, broken down by type of disposal; what the  (A) mean average and  (B) longest individual custodial sentence imposed in each year was for each type of offence; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Information regarding types of offence, types of sentence and the length of custodial sentences is not available. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people convicted and acquitted of benefit fraud (excluding housing benefit and council tax benefit) 
			   Convicted  Acquitted 
			 2003-04 9,091 113 
			 2004-05 8,573 97 
			 2005-06 8,858 136 
			  Source: Fraud Information by Sector (FiBS)

Benefit Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many local authority benefit fraud investigators have  (a) commenced and  (b) completed the Professionalism in Security Accredited Counter Fraud Officer Scheme.

James Plaskitt: Up until the end of March 2006, 1,875 local authority benefit fraud investigators had commenced and completed the Professionalism in Security (PinS) training scheme. In addition a further 80 have started but have not yet completed their training.

Biological Diversity

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Minister in his Department is responsible for monitoring his Department's compliance with its duty under section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity in carrying out its functions; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: In his role as the Department for Work and Pensions Sustainable Development Minister, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath has responsibility for monitoring the Department's compliance with section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
	The Department is office-based, occupying mostly urban sites. As part of the private finance initiative maintenance of landscapes has been outsourced to our estates partner—Land Securities Trillium.
	Initial biodiversity assessments were carried out on all sites within the estate to identify the scope of biodiversity. Further surveys of the more significant sites are currently under way. It has been identified that there is limited potential to significantly increase biodiversity, however working in collaboration with its PFI estates partner a number of measures have been implemented. These include changes to mowing regimes, the introduction of log piles and the increase in leaf mould, on appropriate sites.
	Further to this, two sites have been identified where there is more scope to improve biodiversity. Land Securities Trillium have committed £5,000 to implement a number of additional measures.
	Land Securities Trillium are fully aware of any legal requirement and obligations contained within the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Carer's Allowance

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 721-22W, on carer's allowance, what the cost to public funds would be if the listed number of recipients of carer's allowance were receiving the standard rate of the allowance, in addition to their basic state pension.

Anne McGuire: Figures derived from new DWP national statistics published on 27 April indicate that in Wales at 30 November 2005, there were some 940 carers aged 60 and over receiving carer's allowance at a non-standard rate. A breakdown of this figure by gender and Welsh parliamentary constituency is in the table. This information was not available for the reply I gave to my hon. friend on 27 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 721-22 because the data then available for the numbers of recipients of carer's allowance at 31 August 2005 were rounded to the nearest 100, and this did not permit figures for the recipients of a non-standard rate of the allowance in each constituency to be provided where they numbered fewer than 50. The new statistical data are rounded to the nearest 10 and, as shown in the table, this does permit figures for the recipients in each constituency to be provided where they number five or more. The estimated additional annual cost to public funds of paying the standard weekly rate of carer's allowance to the carers listed in the table, rather than the non-standard rate they are receiving, would be around £1.25 million at current benefit rates.
	
		
			  Carer's Allowance: numbers of recipients aged 60 or over paid at a non-standard rate by gender and in total in each Welsh parliamentary constituency at 30 November 2005 
			  Parliamentary Constituency  Number of recipients( 1) 
			   Total  Women  Men 
			 Aberavon 10 10 (2)— 
			 Alyn and Deeside 30 30 (2)— 
			 Blaenau Gwent 30 30 (2)— 
			 Brecon and Radnorshire 20 10 (2)— 
			 Bridgend 30 30 (2)— 
			 Caernarfon 20 20 (2)— 
			 Caerphilly 30 30 (2)— 
			 Cardiff Central 20 20 (2)— 
			 Cardiff North 10 10 (2)— 
			 Cardiff South and Penarth 30 30 (2)— 
			 Cardiff West 20 20 (2)— 
			 Carmarthen East and Dinefwr 20 20 (2)— 
			 Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 20 20 (2)— 
			 Ceredigion 30 20 (2)— 
			 Clwyd South 20 20 (2)— 
			 Clwyd West 20 20 (2)— 
			 Conwy 20 20 (2)— 
			 Cynon Valley 30 30 (2)— 
			 Delyn 20 20 (2)— 
			 Gower 20 20 (2)— 
			 Islwyn 20 20 (2)— 
			 Llanelli 40 30 (2)— 
			 Meirionnydd Nant Conwy 10 10 (2)— 
			 Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney 20 20 (2)— 
			 Monmouth 20 20 (2)— 
			 Montgomeryshire 20 10 (2)— 
			 Neath 40 30 (2)— 
			 Newport East 20 20 (2)— 
			 Newport West 20 20 (2)— 
			 Ogmore 30 30 (2)— 
			 Pontypridd 30 30 (2)— 
			 Preseli Pembrokeshire 30 30 (2)— 
			 Rhondda 20 20 (2)— 
			 Swansea East 20 20 (2)— 
			 Swansea West 20 20 (2)— 
			 Torfaen 40 40 (2)— 
			 Vale of Clwyd 30 30 (2)— 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 20 20 (2)— 
			 Wrexham 20 20 (2)— 
			 Ynys Mon 20 10 (2)— 
			 Total(3) 910 860 40 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and show the number of people receiving an allowance at a non-standard rate and exclude those with entitlement where payment has been suspended.  (2) Nil or fewer than five  (3) Totals may not sum due to rounding.   Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Carer's Allowance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will change his policy on ceasing carer's allowance on receipt of the state retirement pension at age 60; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: We have no current plans to change the policy on overlapping benefits in respect of carer's allowance and retirement pension.
	It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to entitlement to carer's allowance and state pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or forgone income. Carer's allowance was designed to provide a measure of replacement income where the duties of caring for a severely disabled person prevent the prospect of full-time work and the earnings it would yield. State pension was designed to provide a replacement income in retirement.
	Although an entitlement to both benefits will mean that carer's allowance is not payable, or not payable in full, an underlying entitlement to carer's allowance gives access to additional financial support through the carer premium in housing benefit and council tax benefit and since 2003 the additional amount for carers in state pension credit.

Child Support

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will instruct the chief executive of the Child Support Agency to re-investigate the reasons for the reduction in child support paid to Mrs. N Darling of Dunstable; and if he will ask the chief executive of the Child Support Agency to allocate experienced forensic accountants to the case.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 8 June 2006
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will instruct the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to reinvestigate the reasons for the reduction in child support paid to Mrs N Darling of 6 Coombe Drive Dunstable; and if he will ask the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency to allocate experienced forensic accountants to the case.
	As details about individual cases are confidential I have written to you separately about this case.

Child Support Agency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) fathers and  (b) mothers have responsibility for (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five, (vi) six, (vii) seven and (viii) eight or more children in different households for whom there is a maintenance liability.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
	In reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave, I am responding on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) fathers and (b) mothers have responsibility for (i) one (ii) two (Hi) three (iv) four (v) five (vi) six (vii) seven and (viii) eight or more children in different households for whom there is a maintenance liability.
	Having contacted your office for clarification, we understand that the information you required was the number of non-resident parents by gender, and the number of CSA cases for which the non-resident parent has a liability.
	This information is presented in the attached table.
	I hope you find this useful.
	
		
			  The number of non-resident parents by gender and the number of cases for which the non-resident parent is responsible; at March 2006. 
			   Non-resident parent 
			  Cases  Female  Male 
			 1 70,000 1,009,000 
			 2 1,000 47,000 
			 3 — 3,000 
			 4 (or more) 0 — 
			  Notes:  1. The above includes cases that are open and have received a full maintenance calculation, full maintenance assessment or default maintenance decision. Cases where a nil liability has been established are included, but old scheme cases with a punitive Interim Maintenance Assessment are excluded, as are new scheme cases being processed clerically.  2. Volumes are rounded to the nearest thousand. '?' indicates a figure less than 500.

Communication Support Professionals

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what level of proficiency is expected of a sign language interpreter booked through the Access to Work scheme; and what steps his Department takes to ensure that this standard is met;
	(2)  what guidelines are issued to Access to Work staff on the provision of communication support professionals for deaf and hard of hearing people; and what steps are taken to monitor their implementation.

Anne McGuire: Each Access to Work application for help with interpreting support is dealt with on an individual basis. Guidance is issued to Access to Work advisers which asks them to take into account the customer's job role, their disability and any other help that might meet their needs at work. An expert assessment is commissioned, should there be any doubts as to what support might be necessary.
	Access to Work policy guidance states that where British sign language interpretation is required, that a registered trainee interpreter (who has passed their stage 3) should be provided as a minimum.
	All Access to Work business centre managers are routinely asked to ensure that the policy guidance is being adhered to within their teams.
	In addition to this, Access to Work policy managers have been working in partnership with the Chief Officers' Group (a network of senior representatives of deaf organisations) to develop guidance on the likely level of qualification an interpreter might need in order to support someone to carry out various work-related tasks. This guidance is in draft format at the moment, but will be finalised and distributed to all business centres during June.

Departmental Annual Reports

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

Anne McGuire: The Performance and Development System (PDS) appraisal policy, introduced for the 2003-04 financial year, allows the allocation of a Lower (U) box mark to denote unsatisfactory performance:
	In 2004-05, 35 people were awarded a Lower (U) box mark. This represented 0.03 per cent. of the total number of employees (127,828) allocated a box mark in this period.
	In 2003-04, 60 people were awarded a Lower (U) box mark. This represented 0.05 per cent. of the total number of employees (131,312) allocated a box mark in this period.
	It should be noted that a new DWP disciplinary policy was introduced in October 2004 incorporating amendments to the Employment Act 2002. Previous to this, each of the businesses had their own guidance on disciplinary procedures. It is possible that this change in process may account for some of the change in the numbers allocated Lower (U) between 2003-04 and 2004-05.
	Previous to the introduction of PDS, there were several box marking systems in concurrent use in different parts of the DWP. There was not a universally applicable equivalent of the PDS Lower (U) category and, hence, it is not possible to provide comparable statistics for 2002-03.

Departmental Pension Liability

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the pension liability of his Department over the next 30 years.

Anne McGuire: On 2 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 388-90 a technical note by HM Treasury was placed in the Library of the House following an oral statement in Parliament by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. This note is a full statement about these liabilities and provides detailed information about the size and nature of the liabilities and how they are calculated.
	Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual Departments, they are estimated for individual pension schemes, as shown in the breakdown of liabilities per pension scheme given in table 1 of the technical note.

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department were  (a) civil servants,  (b) contractors and  (c) other staff in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The number of civil servants in the Department between 1998 and 2004 can be found at Table C on the Civil Service Statistics which shows permanent staff numbers (FTE basis) in each Department and agency.
	Civil Service Statistics 2004 are available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office Statistics website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp
	The data for 1997 can be obtained from Table C in Civil Service Statistics 2003.
	Civil Service staffing trends by Department are now published by the Cabinet Office on a quarterly basis via its statistics website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_information/statistical_information/statistics/index.asp
	The most recent figures reflecting staffing as at 31 December 2005 were published on 7 April 2006.
	For ease of reference the figures since 1 April 2002, the first available since the Department's formation in June 2001, are in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff 
			 1 April 2002 125,910 
			 1 April 2003 127,000 
			 1 April 2004 129,200 
			 31 March 2005 121,020 
			 31 December 2005 117,680 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are FTE rounded and include temporary staff.  2. Figures from 2002 to 2004 exclude staff on paid maternity leave. 3. Figures from 31 March 2005 are based on the Office for National Statistics definition. 
		
	
	No central data are held on the number of contractors or agency workers employed by the Department. The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate numbers in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The information on the number of people disciplined and dismissed for inappropriate use of the internet for the period July 2003 to September 2005 is shown in the following table. No information is available for the period before July 2003.
	
		
			  Number of disciplinary and dismissal actions against DWP employees that were as a result of internet abuse 
			   Disciplined  Dismissed 
			 July 2003 to December 2003 124 6 
			 January 2004 to December 2004 190 18 
			 January 2005 to December 2005 100 34 
		
	
	No information is held on the number of disciplinary actions or dismissals for using work telephones to access premium rate numbers.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what incentives his Department offers to encourage staff to share vehicles when travelling to work.

James Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions' staff are encouraged to set up car sharing schemes; details of the benefits of car sharing and how to start and run schemes are on the departmental intranet. Staff are encouraged to participate in schemes run by other organisations, for example, local authorities.
	The Department also offers other incentives to encourage more sustainable forms of travel; these include salary advances for the purchase of season travel tickets and bicycles. Concessionary bus passes are available in some locations and the Department also provides showers and changing facilities at a number of sites.
	The Department promotes sustainable travel to work. Sustainable Transport Travel pages are available on the intranet. The travel pages promote awareness of travel options and include a copy of the Departmental Generic Travel Plan. Details of greener forms of transport are also included in the Departmental Induction Pack.

Departmental Targets

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to improve reporting of performance against Departmental targets.

Anne McGuire: Performance towards achieving the Department's Public Service Agreement targets, and progress with its efficiency challenge, is reported on twice a year in the spring Departmental Report and the Autumn Performance Report.
	This reporting complies with HM Treasury guidelines, and takes account of suggestions for improvement from the Parliamentary Scrutiny Unit, from the Work and Pensions Committee and the National Audit Office.
	In addition, the Department reviews the quality of performance reporting on an ongoing basis, and seeks to implement improvements to the accuracy, consistency and coverage of its reporting wherever possible.

Disability Discrimination Legislation

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made in making the Department compliant with the provisions of disability discrimination legislation.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows:
	 Disability Equality Scheme
	One of the main ways DWP is already working towards ensuring compliance with existing and new Disability Discrimination legislation is through publication of its Disability Equality Schemes by 4 December 2006. Businesses and corporate centre directorates will be involving disabled people in developing action plans for tackling problem areas and identifying positive actions to address these. The process to develop our Schemes was formally launched on 12 April 2006 by the Permanent Secretary. We have begun the process of involving both staff and customers in developing our Schemes and are planning a training strategy to ensure our staff are aware of the new legislation.
	 Equality Impact Assessment
	We advise that all parts of DWP undertake to consider the potential impact of policy and services on all equality groups and we are implementing a new impact assessment tool across all diversity areas. We have already undertaken at least three impact assessments taking into account disability, with a number of additional assessments in the process of being completed.
	 Premises
	DWP commissioned public access audits of all its premises used by the public during 2003. The results were used to develop a programme of public access improvements that was implemented in the following year and completed in March 2005, with the exception of a small number of Jobcentre Plus refurbishment programme sites, scheduled for completion in June 2006.
	A total of 1,735 buildings were surveyed with access impotents works being undertaken at 1,032 sites at a cost of £4 million. The existing public access provisions are subject to annual review and any future additional requirement is built into the annual maintenance work programmes.
	 Disability Confident
	The Department has worked in partnership with the Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) in order to address the needs of its disabled customers. In particular, it has contributed, along with other public and private organisations, to the highly acclaimed interactive "Disability Confident" training resource pack.
	 Reasonable Adjustment pilots
	DWP has been running two pilot exercises in the Disability and Carers' Service (DCS) on a revised process for delivering reasonable adjustments. The development of the new process was partly in response to the length of time it took to assess and put reasonable adjustments into place and partly to ensure that the recommended adjustment was the most suitable for that individual. The new process opens formal communication channels between suppliers and so far, the results have been positive. There has been a notable reduction in the time it is taking to achieve a successful outcome.
	A third pilot is due to start in Jobcentre Plus shortly. We are already planning national implantation.
	 Diversity toolkit
	We want our staff to understand and embrace diversity. An important part of achieving this has been our Diversity Toolkit.
	The Toolkit makes all our diversity and equality information in one place. It sits on our internal website, where staff can work through its training modules at their own pace.
	The Toolkit has been commended by the Institute of Welfare and is now being used, not only by them but also by around 70 other organisations, including the Metropolitan Police.

Disability Living Allowance

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost of extending entitlement to the higher rate for Disability Living Allowance for mobility to all people of a qualifying age who are registered blind.

Anne McGuire: The estimated cost of extending automatic entitlement to the higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance in this way would be about £61 million a year at current benefit rates(1).
	(1) The estimate is based on the latest (31 March 2003) figures for the numbers of registered blind people in England, Scotland and Wales and on 100 per cent. data for the numbers of disability living allowance recipients as at November 2005 from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Forced Sterilisation

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to ensure the inclusion of an article prohibiting forced sterilisation of children with disabilities in the forthcoming UN Convention on People with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Government consider that this matter is already addressed in general terms in the article in the present draft text of the convention concerning respect for home and the family, but would be prepared to consider any more specific proposals put forward during the next negotiating session on the draft convention in August 2006.

Gaming Machines

Janet Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the change in the number of gaming machines manufactured in the UK over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I have been asked to reply.
	My officials and I have regular discussions with the key trade bodies representing, and companies from, the gaming machine manufacturing sector.
	These discussions provide the opportunity for the Department to gain a good understanding of the gaming machine industry and the issues it is facing. I will shortly be undertaking a fresh round of meetings with the industry.

Gershon Report

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants were employed in his Department before the Gershon report; what net reductions are proposed in the Gershon report; how many reductions have been made; and how many civil servants are expected to be employed in his Department in the Gershon target month of April 2008.

Anne McGuire: As set out in the Gershon Review the Department is planning to reduce staff numbers by a net 30,000 full-time equivalents by the agreed date of 31 March 2008 from a baseline of 132,550 as at 1 March 2004. As at 31 December 2005 the reduction achieved was 14,860.
	Planned staffing in the Department at 31 March 2008 is 102,550 full-time equivalents.

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many illegal immigrants have been discovered to be employed by his Department in each year since 2001; in what capacities they were employed; how many were discovered as part of a criminal investigation; and what the nature of the charges brought against them was.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is not routinely obtained. In common with all Government Departments, DWP has in place standard pre-appointment checks which are carried out during the recruitment process and which are intended to ensure that the employment status of all applicants is confirmed prior to them being offered a post. These controls also have the effect of deterring prospective applicants who are not entitled to work in the UK. Decisions on the legality of an individual's status would be determined by the immigration authorities. Any information that comes to light during the recruitment process which raises a question about the immigration status of any individual applicant would be dealt with at the time. Where appropriate, authorities would be consulted on individual cases.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2006,  Official Report, column 1350W to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on incapacity benefit, when he expects his Department to conclude its review of the incapacity benefits caseload forecasts; and whether he plans to publish the forecasts.

Anne McGuire: The latest forecast estimates of the number of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance claimants, consistent with the best available data, are shown up to 2019-20 in the following table. These forecasts do not take into account any of the proposed policy changes in the recent papers, "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work", or "Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system".
	
		
			  Estimated numbers of working-age claimants of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance, 2005-06 to 2019-20 
			  Thousand 
			   Number 
			 2005-06 2,710 
			 2006-07 2,650 
			 2007-08 2,570 
			 2008-09 2,490 
			 2009-10 2,430 
			 2010-11 2,400 
			 2011-12 2,390 
			 2012-13 2,370 
			 2013-14 2,360 
			 2014-15 2,350 
			 2015-16 2,360 
			 2016-17 2,380 
			 2017-18 2,410 
			 2018-19 2,440 
			 2019-20 2,470 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.  2. Figures are forecasts, therefore subject to future revisions.  3. Figures include the impact of the one-third rollout of Pathways to Work and estimates of the impact of equalisation of state pension age on the IB caseload.

Jobcentre Plus

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many days have been lost to sickness absence in each of the last three years in Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 20 April 2006:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many days have been lost to sickness absence in each of the last three years in Jobcentre Plus. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Number of days lost to sickness absence in Jobcentre Plus 
			   Working days lost  Working days available  Average working days lost per staff full time equivalent (days) 
			 2003-04 1,055,680 20,721,054 12.7 
			 2004-05 978,869 19,573,156 12.5 
			 2005-06 811,168 19,099,391 10.6 
		
	
	Jobcentre Plus has placed a great deal of emphasis on reducing sickness over several years and we continue to press for further improvement.
	I hope this is helpful.

Large Print Materials

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of materials produced by his Department is available in large print.

Anne McGuire: The Department will, on request, supply any of its materials in large print.

Learning Disabilities (Work Opportunities)

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will publish the report of the joint Department for Work and Pensions/Department of Health working group on learning disabilities, "Improving Work Opportunities for People with a Learning Disability".

Anne McGuire: The report "Improving Work Opportunities for People with a Learning Disability" is a report of a working group on learning disabilities and employment. The working group's report is to Ministers and to the Learning Disability Task Force and I expect it to be published shortly.

Poverty

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the Government  (a) defines and  (b) measures severe poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Specific information regarding low income for Wales, Scotland and the English regions is available in the latest publication of "Households Below Average Income 1994-95 to 2004-05". The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting trends in low income.
	Our current approach in "Opportunity for all" is to present a range of low-income thresholds (50, 60 and 70 per cent.). This gives an idea of the depth of poverty and it is simple to interpret. Indeed, the incorporation of two different relative low-income thresholds into our new child poverty measure (60 and 70 per cent. of median), together with the absolute tier, further ensures that different depths of poverty will be looked at separately.
	We know that there are some anomalies at the very bottom end of the income distribution, due to people misreporting income, to self-employment, and to people on temporary zero income but with high living standards (e.g. students, people taking a career break). These become proportionally more important the smaller the group we focus on. That is part of the reason that, from next year, we will be collating material deprivation data as well, excluding people with low measured income but high living standards.

Sickness/Unauthorised Absence

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of  (a) sickness and  (b) unauthorised absence was in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies in each year since 1996-97; what progress has been made in meeting targets for a reduction in sickness and unauthorised absence; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows.
	 Days lost to sickness
	The information available is contained in the following tables. The figures represent average working days lost per staff year, and have been drawn from the Cabinet Office's annual reports on sickness absence in the civil service. The information for 2005 is not yet available.
	The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in 2001. The overall figures prior to this date relate to absence levels in the Department of Social Security and the Employment Service. A comprehensive breakdown of the DSS agencies' figures prior to 2001 is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Sickness absence information for the former DSS and ES 
			  Department  1998  1999  2000 
			 Employment Service — 11.5 11.8 
			 Department of Social Security 10.8 10.9 11.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Sickness absence information for DWP 
			  Business  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Appeals Service — — — — 
			 Child Support Agency 11.0 11.6 13.8 11.6 
			 Disability and Carers Service — — — — 
			 Employment Service 12.8 13.5 — — 
			 Jobcentre Plus (Benefits Agency pre-2002) 10.6 10.8 12.0 9.8 
			 The Pension Service — — 10.5 9.5 
			 DWP overall 11.1 10.8 11.6 9.6 
		
	
	Since the end of 2004, the Department's internal figures indicate a further reduction of over 12 per cent. This improvement has been achieved by, among other things, increasing staff awareness of the issue and management's commitment to reducing absence levels; greater compliance with revised procedures, which were commended by the National Audit Office; improved management information about the level and type of absences through the introduction of a new computer system.
	 Days lost to unauthorised absence
	The available information is in the following table. Information about unauthorised absences in DWP prior to 2003 is not fully available. The vast majority of these days lost are through industrial action. Days lost for reasons other than industrial action are negligible. If they occur, they are dealt with under the Department's disciplinary procedures.
	
		
			  Table 3: Average working days lost due to all unauthorised absences 
			  DWP business  2003  2004  2005 (end October) 
			 Appeals Service — — — 
			 Child Support Agency 0.01 2.21 0.03 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0.01 1.94 0.03 
			 Jobcentre Plus 0.02 2.08 0.03 
			 The Pension Service 0.01 2.14 0.03 
			 DWP overall 0.01 2.08 0.03 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Average working days lost due to unauthorised absence, excluding industrial action 
			  DWP business  2003  2004  2005 (end October) 
			 Appeals Service — — — 
			 Child Support Agency 0.01 0.04 0.03 
			 Disability and Carers Service 0.01 0.02 0.03 
			 Jobcentre Plus 0.01 0.04 0.03 
			 The Pension Service 0.01 0.07 0.03 
			 DWP overall 0.01 0.04 0.03

Special Advisers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Because the specification requires data to be broken down into salary, travelling, subsistence and relocation, from three separate sources we are unable to supply information as this would involve disproportionate cost.

Telephone Helplines

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many telephone helplines his Department sponsors; and how many calls each helpline received in each of the last six years.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			Calls received( 1) 
			  Helplines  Number of current sites  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  CSA( 2)
			 CSA National Helpline 7 n/a n/a 3,636,000 5,409,000 5,402,000 3,822,000 
			 
			  DCS
			 Benefit Enquiry Line 1 1,307,042 1,270,624 1,431,594 1,589,145 1,452,359 919,387 
			 Disability Living Allowance/Attendance Allowance 1 4,886,331 4,676,687 4,642,762 4,858,412 5,404,965 3,892,032 
			 
			  The Pension Service( 3)
			 Pension Centres 18 n/a n/a n/a 7,666,005 13,738,107 5,340,039 
			 Pension Credit Application Line (Outsourced to Venture) 1 n/a n/a n/a 3,196,153 2,111,864 824,391 
			 Retirement Pension Teleclaims 1 n/a n/a n/a 548,353 623,342 320,977 
			 Retirement Pension Forecasting Team 1 n/a n/a n/a n/a 1,541,421 812,039 
			 Winter Fuel Helpline 1 n/a n/a n/a 470,152 535,973 334,603 
			 Pension Guide Orderline 1 n/a n/a n/a 34,404 37,197 25,241 
			 Pension Information orderline 1 n/a n/a n/a 51,828 96,366 77,589 
			 Pensions Direct 1 n/a n/a n/a 1,022,090 1,221,628 673,978 
			 International Pension Centre 1 n/a n/a n/a 113,452 245,088 265,902 
			 Deficiency Notices 1 n/a n/a n/a (4)— 163,660 182,609 
			 Inherited SERPS 0 n/a n/a n/a 26,428 24,035 (4)— 
			 
			  Jobcentre Plus( 5)
			 Employer Direct(6) 9 n/a n/a 1,825,674 1,897,435 1,811,692 1,189,690 
			 Jobcentre Plus Direct—Jobseeker Direct(7) 23 n/a n/a 7,136,858 8,197,452 9,245,148 7,290,219 
			 Jobcentre Plus Direct—First Contact(8) 25 n/a n/a n/a n/a 3,728,115 4,526,843 
			 National Benefit Fraud Hotline(9) 1 n/a n/a n/a n/a 278,513 200,336 
			 
			 Debt Management(10)
			 Debt Centres service 10 n/a n/a n/a 50,678 257,771 433,638 
			 n/a = not available  (1) Calls received is defined as calls offered to helpline sites during business hours. It includes calls that are answered and where the customer abandons the call.  (2) CSA does not hold sufficiently robust information for calls in 2000-02. Figures for 2005-06 are up to the end of December 2005 only.  (3 )The Pension Service was launched in April 2002, when the majority of the contact centres/help-lines became fully operational. Appropriate data collection processes were put in place by August 2003; robust data are not available prior to August 2003. The Pension Credit Application Line came into operation in April 2003, data from that date are given in the response.  (4 )Not in operation.  (5) There are 37 Jobcentre Plus Contact Centres of which: 27 provide First Contact and Jobseeker Direct services (22 CMS sites), nine are Employer Direct and one is the National Benefit Fraud Hotline.  (6) Employer Direct was in its development and set up phase during 2001-02  (7) Jobseeker Direct—We do not hold any data for 2000-01 and 2001-02 as during that period the Jobseeker Direct function was being carried out in Districts. 23 sites deliver the Jobseeker Direct function (of these five are Employer Direct sites and two are Residual Jobseeker Direct sites).  (8) First Contact—The First Contact function did not commence until June 2004 therefore there is no data for previous periods. 25 sites deliver the First Contact function.  (9) Prior to 2004-05, National Benefit Fraud Hotline only measured calls answered.  (10) Debt recovery service is not specifically a helpline. Data for 2003-04 is from October 2003 onwards.

UN Draft Disability Treaty

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has sent officials to participate in negotiations on the UN draft Disability treaty.

Anne McGuire: My Department has led the UK delegation since the start of negotiations in 2002, and officials from my Department and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have participated in all the negotiating meetings on the draft UN Disability convention.

UN Draft Disability Treaty

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government plans to bring forward changes to UK legislation to be compatible with the UN draft Disability treaty.

Anne McGuire: The Government actively support the Draft UN Disability Convention and are playing an active role in its negotiation. When the text is adopted by the UN General Assembly the Treaty will be open for signature and ratification by States. Depending on the final text of the Convention, it is possible that changes to national legislation may be required or that appropriate reservations are in place.

Vaccine Damage Payment Act

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Act 1979 were made in each year since 2000; and how many were successful.

Anne McGuire: The number of claims received and successful payments made under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979, in each financial year since April 2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  1 April to 31 March  Number of claims received  Number of claims successful 
			 2000-01 205 0 
			 2001-02 146 2 
			 2002-03 417 5 
			 2003-04 165 4 
			 2004-05 111 4 
			 2005-06 106 4 
			 2006-07 (to 7 June 2006) 14 2 
			 Total 1,164 21 
			  Source:  Vaccine Damage Payments Unit Database

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Air Industry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have for maintaining the UK air industry sector.

Margaret Hodge: The Government are working in partnership with the aerospace industry to strengthen the UK capabilities in this sector and are implementing the agenda set by the industry-led Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team report in 2003. This set out a vision for the future success of the industry that by 2022,
	"The UK will offer a global Aerospace Industry the worlds most innovative and productive location, leading to sustainable growth for all its stakeholders".
	The key areas of focus work are on technology, process excellence, skills, and environmental issues.
	This implementation work is overseen by the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council, which I chair jointly with Mike Turner, CEO of BAE Systems.
	More information is set out in the DTI evidence to the Trade and Industry Committee inquiry in March 2005.
	In regard to the defence air sector, the recently published Defence Industrial Strategy provided clarity to industry on our military capability requirements, and set out a requirement to work with BAE Systems and key areas of the supply chain to ensure a sustainable long-term industrial base.

Arms Exports

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks are made by his Department to ensure that ex-military aircraft transferred to countries subject to a UN arms embargo are not used for military purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Ex-military aircraft are rated ML10b under the UK's "Military List". As such, they would only receive a licence for export to an embargoed destination, where permitted by an exception in the embargo for example where they were to be used by UN representatives or peace keeping forces or for humanitarian work. In such cases a risk assessment is made before a licence is granted to verify the stated end-use.

Bonuses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Department of Trade and Industry awards non-pensionable bonuses in two formats:
	1. Special bonuses, for exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award.
	2. Annual performance awards, paid to highly successful performers as part of the annual pay award.
	The number of staff receiving awards, their financial value and their value as a proportion of the total paybill can be seen in the following table.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Special bonuses
			 Number of staff awarded special bonuses 1,458 1,261 1,237 
			 Value (£) 521,149 498,592 572,902 
			 
			  Performance awards
			 Number of staff awarded performance awards 1,251 1,263 1,200 
			 Value (£) 1,473,180 1,543,180 1,808,130 
			 
			 Total value (£) 1,994,329 2,041,772 2,381,032 
			 Percentage of paybill 1.16 1.17 1.39

Business Closures (Peterborough)

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many firms in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) the Peterborough city council area have ceased trading in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Value added tax (VAT) registrations and de-registrations are the best official guide to the pattern of business start-ups and closures. DTI data on the number of VAT registrations and de-registrations in  (a) Peterborough constituency and  (b) Peterborough city council area from 1997 to 2004 are shown in the following table. The table shows the number of new VAT registrations, the number of de-registrations and the ratio of de-registrations to registrations in each year are also shown.
	
		
			  VAT de-registrations and registrations 1997-2004 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			  Peterborough Constituency 
			 New registrations 285 250 260 250 250 280 290 245 
			 De-registrations 210 240 190 210 185 245 265 220 
			 ratio 0.74 0.96 0.73 0.84 0.74 0.88 0.91 0.90 
			  
			  Peterborough city council 
			 New registrations 480 440 435 405 430 485 525 440 
			 De-registrations 325 355 300 365 330 385 435 405 
			 ratio 0.68 0.81 0.69 0.90 0.77 0.79 0.83 0.92 
			  Source:  Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats 
		
	
	In both Peterborough constituency and Peterborough city council area the stock of VAT registered businesses has increased each year since 1997, as registrations have exceeded de-registrations throughout this period.
	VAT registration and de-registration data do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if their turnover falls below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million businesses (42 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Citizens Advice

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his statement of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, column 560, on Citizens Advice, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that citizens advice bureaux operate in each major town in England.

Ian McCartney: There are approximately 450 CAB bureaux in England and Wales and there is at least one in most major towns.
	Decisions on whether a town has a CAB is a matter largely for the local authority and the Government have no powers to ensure this.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Minister for Industry and the Regions will reply to the letter of 3 April from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on the Government's Enlightened Shareholder Value.

Margaret Hodge: I responded to the hon. Member on 9 June.

Departmental Press Office

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) black and Asian and  (b) other people are employed in his Department's press office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department collects data, on a voluntary basis, on the ethnic origin of its staff. Such data, relating to small individual business units, are not available for publication for reasons of confidentiality.
	 Note:
	Civil Service Statistics contains information on the numbers of staff who have declared their ethnic background. The latest available information at April 2004 is available in the Library and on the civil service website at the following address:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/index.asp

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into his Department in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: People over 55 recruited as direct entrants into the Department of Trade and Industry are as follows:
	
		
			   Age  
			   56 - 58  59 - 61  62 - 64  Total 
			 2003 2 1 1 4 
			 2004 3 0 0 3 
			 2005 3 0 0 3 
			 2006 1 0 0 1

Energy Bills

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will initiate discussions with domestic energy utilities on ensuring that  (a) carbon dioxide emissions from fuel consumption and  (b) where appropriate, the fuel mix, is shown on the face of domestic energy bills.

Malcolm Wicks: Under fuel mix disclosure provisions inserted into electricity supply licences by regulations made under the European Communities Act, suppliers are already required to calculate, and make available to customers, information about the amount of carbon dioxide produced for each kWh of electricity generated. That information may be provided on or with bills. No equivalent provision exists for mains gas. The Energy Review is considering the arguments for requiring more informative bills for domestic gas and electricity customers.

Energy Consumers

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to assist vulnerable domestic energy customers.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has taken a number of actions to help vulnerable domestic gas and electricity customers. We have liaised closely with energy suppliers on the development of the Home Heat Helpline, a one-stop service providing vulnerable customers and their representatives with the range of help and information available from suppliers and Government. We have worked with Energywatch and Ofgem to encourage customers to use the competitive market to get the best deal. We have successfully promoted the introduction of social tariffs and price freezes for fuel-poor and low-income customers.
	DTI's Design and Demonstration Unit, a team of private sector secondees that works in support of Energy White Paper objectives, has designed and delivered projects to provide gas connections to deprived communities, and is now developing community projects utilising renewable technologies.
	DTI and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) share PSA targets in respect of fuel poverty. As part of the Energy Review, DTI is seeking to determine what further measures are needed to tackle fuel poverty.

Estate Agents

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made with his plans for further regulation of estate agents.

Ian McCartney: The Government are putting in place arrangements that will secure redress for consumers when they have legitimate complaints against estate agents. My officials are in discussion with the ombudsman for estate agents about approving a redress scheme under the Housing Act 2004 for complaints in respect of home information packs. The Government intend to extend the right of redress to cover all relevant complaints against estate agents throughout the UK at the first legislative opportunity. The Government also intend to introduce other measures to improve the regulation of estate agents that were recommended by the Office of Fair Trading.

Farming

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of farmers who went bankrupt in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Official insolvency statistics are available by broad industry sector.
	Bankruptcies in the agriculture and horticulture sector in England and Wales are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 151 
			 2004 204 
			 2005 195 
		
	
	Company liquidations in agriculture and horticulture in England and Wales are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 52 
			 2004 35 
			 2005 35

Gas and Electricity

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage greater liquidity in the wholesale gas market.

Malcolm Wicks: Since last summer, the Department and OFGEM have been working closely with the Futures and Options Association (FOA) to identify the reasons for the lack of liquidity in the gas and power markets and to see if there are any barriers the Government could help overcome.
	The FOA organised a roundtable on 1 November 2005 and have been taking forward work on a number of priority actions with a particular focus on power:
	To establish a Steering Group to assess the viability, and, as appropriate, take forward the establishment of an auction market for the trading of UK power—this is expected to make a recommendation to the industry in the summer with a view to implementing changes before the winter.
	To respond to the Government announcement for reviewing energy policy, particularly in the context of appropriate market mechanisms, and to brief MPs on energy issues—the FOA organised a briefing session under the auspices of the Associate Parliamentary Group on Wholesale Financial Markets and Services on 6 March.
	The FOA held a further roundtable for investment banks and brokerage houses on 6 June to ascertain their views on the state of the energy market, and what could be done to improve liquidity.
	In addition to the work with the FOA, DTI officials have been holding separate meetings with representatives of traders and exchanges to investigate why there are not more players and whether there is anything that could be done to improve the structure of the market.

Gas and Electricity

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the impact of gas and electricity prices on public sector expenditure; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Preliminary figures from the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) indicate that public expenditure on gas and electricity was between £1.5 and £2 billion in 2003-04. This figure is indicative as it is based on information from a sample of public sector administrations. This information is not regularly updated.
	The latest DTI statistics, March 2006 (http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file26972.pdf) indicate that retail prices paid by small industrial consumers—a proxy for the public sector—for gas and electricity increased by 80 per cent. and 53 per cent. respectively, between January 2004 and January 2006.

Gas and Electricity

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the impact of gas and electricity prices on UK competitiveness; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. We have been engaged in continual dialogue with industry to find solutions and mitigate the impacts of high gas and electricity prices. Our discussions with the Energy Intensive Users Group and others have helped us focus our efforts on maximising gas and electricity supplies, improving the operation of the market, encouraging demand side response and pursuing fair access to markets across Europe.
	Over the summer we will be pursuing a detailed work plan with Ofgem, national grid, industry and others to ensure we are in the best possible position ahead of next winter. And at a higher level, the new Business Energy Forum will discuss security of supply from a strategic viewpoint.
	The impact on UK businesses of increases in gas and electricity prices will depend on a variety of factors, including how much gas or electricity a particular company uses, the degree of their exposure to spot and forward prices and the duration of high prices. It will also be affected by the energy prices paid by their competitors. A further sector-specific issue is whether they are in a competitive market where international trade sets the price or in a sector where prices are determined more locally and rising energy costs could be passed on.
	It should be noted that between 1990 and 2004, the relative costs of gas and electricity to UK industry were approximately £8 billion and £9 billion less respectively than their German counterparts. I do however recognise that the UK has seen sharp price rises since then.

Hydroelectricity

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what evaluation his Department has carried out of the potential energy generation from the River Severn from  (a) incorporating hydroelectric generating equipment at the five existing weirs between Stourport and Gloucester and  (b) building five variable height weirs with hydroelectric generating equipment between Bridgnorth and Stourport.

Malcolm Wicks: In 1987 the then Department of Energy commissioned the University of Salford to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the economic potential for small-scale hydroelectric generation throughout the UK.
	The scope of the study extended to sites with installed capacities in the range 25 kW to 5 MW. Further limiting conditions were to disregard sites with hydraulic heads of less than two metres, with existing civil works, or less than three metres with no existing civil works.
	The comprehensive results of the study were published in the report "Small Scale Hydroelectricity Generation Potential in the UK" ETSU-SSH-4063 (parts 1-3) a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside his Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in his Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has a long term PFI Agreement with its IS/IT partner Fujitsu to supply its desktop services to the Department.
	The spend for the last five years with Fujitsu, covering desktop services and application development and support is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Amount 
			 2001-02 36 
			 2002-03 35 
			 2003-04 37 
			 2004-05 32 
			 2005-06 30 
		
	
	Responsibility for ICT projects rests with Information and Workplace Services Directorate within the Department. As it is a PFI contract the IT expertise, and associated qualifications, rests with Fujitsu.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has a main Information Technology contract which is a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) Agreement with Fujitsu Services and has been in place for more than five years. The Department has also recently awarded a Competed Services Framework Arrangement to six other suppliers and this will enable an element of competition for future IT projects. To date no significant contracts have been awarded to these suppliers.
	For the Department's PFI Agreement with Fujitsu, covering desktop services and application development and support, spend in the last five years has been:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Amount 
			 2001-02 36 
			 2002-03 35 
			 2003-04 37 
			 2004-05 32 
			 2005-06 30

Mesothelioma

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the House of Lords judgment in the case of Barker  v. Corus UK Ltd. on future spending plans of his Department in respect of expenditure on compensation payments for those suffering from mesothelioma.

Malcolm Wicks: The ruling should enable the Department, in respect of claims against British shipbuilders, to pay our part of any compensation more quickly as we would not have to wait until all insurers had been found and agreed to their share of liability. The wider implications of this judgment are currently under review.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions his Department has agreed to make compensation payments as an employer through negotiation with a claims handler.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 8 June 2006
	The Department has Claims Handling Agreements (CHAs) with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM)/ Vendside for processing vibration white finger and respiratory disease claims. The Department has a further agreement with the UDM for handling hearing loss claims.
	We have also received a few claims from other claims handlers which have been handled under the terms of the CHA for claims submitted by solicitors.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the process is by which claimants for coal-related health compensation represented by UDM/Vendside and not by a solicitor can  (a) apply for and  (b) receive a copy of their claimant file.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 8 June 2006
	The Department would advise claimants to apply to their representatives for copies of any papers they wish to receive.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which departmental Ministers have met with Vendside Ltd. in each year since 1998.

Malcolm Wicks: We have clear records of the following Ministers having met Vendside Ltd.: Peter Hain and Brian Wilson on separate occasions in 2001 and Nigel Griffiths in 2004. We cannot be certain that other Ministers did not also meet Vendside Ltd.

Miners' Compensation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has established a procedure for claimants of coal-related health compensation to complain about poor services provided by claims handlers.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 12 June 2006
	No such procedure has been established. The majority of claims handled by claims handlers are processed in accordance with a Claims Handling Agreement agreed between the Department and the Union of Democratic Mineworkers/Vendside Ltd. We have also received a few other claims from claims handlers which are processed under the terms of the Claims Handling Agreement agreed with solicitors.
	Claimants who are unhappy with their representation are free to transfer their claim to an alternative representative. The Compensation Bill currently progressing through Parliament will introduce a regulatory framework for claims handlers.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DTI civil servants and special advisors benefit from discounted hotel accommodation provided through a Cross-Government Hotel Booking Agent Contract.
	The Department keeps no record of discounts available in relation to hotel accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers. To provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Energy

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations he has received from members of the public since 1 January  (a) supporting and  (b) opposing the extension of nuclear energy generation.

Malcolm Wicks: Since 1 January, 2006 I have received many representations, in the context of the Energy Review and more widely, on the role of nuclear power.
	In relation to the Energy Review consultation, releasing figures for only some of the responses, out of context and without accompanying analysis, has the potential to mislead the public by focusing on the views and comments of only one section of the respondents.
	We will publish a summary of the responses to the Energy Review consultation in the coming weeks. The responses are currently being posted in full on the DTI website: www.dti.gov.uk/energy/review.

Petroleum Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the operation of  (a) the Petroleum Act 1998 and  (b) the Fossil Fuel Levy Act 1998; and what recent representations he has received about the operation of each Act.

Malcolm Wicks: The Petroleum Act 1998 consolidated previous enactments about petroleum, offshore installations and submarine pipelines. In brief, part I of the Petroleum Act 1998 empowers the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to grant to such persons as he thinks fit licences to explore for, drill for and extract petroleum; Part II applies criminal law to offshore activities; Part III empowers the Secretary of State to control the construction and use of offshore pipelines; and Part IV deals with the abandonment of offshore installations.
	The Petroleum Act 1998 is a key part of the regulatory regime that allows the Government to manage the UK's oil and gas resources, with the overall aim of maximising economic recovery. The Government continue to work closely with industry in PILOT, the oil and gas taskforce that I chair, to ensure that we have the licensing, environmental and business frameworks that will attract the investment needed to deliver the North sea's full potential. The operation of the Petroleum Act 1998 naturally forms part of that wider picture, alongside a range of positive initiatives.
	The Fossil Fuel Levy Act 1998 (which amended section 33 of the Electricity Act in its original form) was repealed by the Utilities Act 2000, which introduced the renewables obligation. However, provisions dealing with the Fossil Fuel Levy continue in a modified form by virtue of the Electricity from Non-Fossil Fuel Sources Savings Arrangements Orders made in 2000 and 2001. The fossil fuel levy is currently set at zero. The contractual arrangements made under the non-fossil fuel obligation also remain in place by virtue of the NFFO Savings Order. I have received no recent representations about the fossil fuel levy.

Post Offices

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have closed in  (a) Devon,  (b) Cornwall,  (c) Somerset and  (d) Dorset in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 12 June 2006
	The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. However, Post Office Ltd. have provided the following figures relating to the numbers of post office branches in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.
	
		
			  Number of Post Office branches open 
			   Devon  Cornwall  Somerset  Dorset 
			 2001-02 436 291 218 230 
			 2002-03 425 275 215 224 
			 2003-04 394 264 205 197 
			 2004-05 364 262 195 195 
			 2005-06 358 264 194 187 
		
	
	Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.

Post Offices

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in Hove constituency since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. However, Post Office Ltd. have provided the following figures relating to the number of post office branches in Hove constituency.
	
		
			  Post Office branches open in Hove 
			   Number 
			 2001-02 22 
			 2002-03 20 
			 2003-04 14 
			 2004-05 14 
			 2005-06 14 
			  Note: Data on post offices closed in Hove constituency since 1997 is not available prior 2000. 
		
	
	Information relating to post office branches for each parliamentary constituency is placed in the Libraries of the House on an annual basis.

Post Offices

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have been closed in villages and towns with a population smaller than 10,000 inhabitants in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question the hon. Member has asked relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. (POL) is directly responsible. However, POL have provided the following figures relating to the net reduction in rural Post Office branches by year.
	
		
			   Net reduction in rural branches 
			 2000-01 441 
			 2001-02 194 
			 2002-03 115 
			 2003-04 149 
			 2004-05 144 
			 2005-06 149 
		
	
	Post Office branches are classified as being in either urban or rural areas, with rural areas being defined as settlements with less than 10,000 inhabitants, this definition follows that of the Countryside Agency and was adopted at the end of 1999-2000 in preparation for the PIU report.
	Data on the net reduction in the number of branches in settlements with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants (rural branches) is not available prior 2000.

Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what incentives are available to encourage members of his staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI offers interest free loans to its staff for the purchase of season tickets.

Renewable Energy

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the UK's energy came from renewable energy sources in 2005-06; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the proportion of energy from renewable sources.

Malcolm Wicks: Full details of generation from renewable energy in 2005 will be published in the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics on 27 July 2006, a copy of which will be available from the Libraries of the House.
	It is currently estimated that 4.2 per cent. of the UK's electricity was generated from all sources of renewable energy in 2005.
	The Government's main mechanism for delivering new renewable generating capacity is the renewables obligation (RO). The RO requires electricity suppliers to source an increasing proportion of their electricity sales from eligible sources of renewable energy.
	As support to the RO, the Government are also investing around £500 million, between 2002 and 2008, in capital grants and research and development on renewable energy. Money that has already been allocated includes £50 million for the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund and £117 million for offshore wind. The Chancellor also announced in the Budget a further £50 million, on top of the £30 million that I had previously announced, for the Low Carbon Building Programme, which supports microgeneration and energy efficiency measures.

Social Enterprises

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many social enterprises have been taken over by private companies in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: This is not information that the DTI collects, nor are we aware of any source which records this kind of data.

Telephone/Internet Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on progress in extending choice and competition in telephone and internet services to the residents and businesses of Kingston upon Hull.

Margaret Hodge: The matter raised is the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. I have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the chief executive's letter have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Thompson's Solicitors

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease cases have been settled by Thompson's Solicitors in  (a) North Durham and  (b) County Durham.

Malcolm Wicks: Thompsons solicitors have settled 7,428 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims for claimants in County Durham(1) of which 994 were in North Durham.
	(1) County Durham is made up of North Durham, North West Durham, City of Durham, Easington, Sedgefield and Bishop Auckland constituencies.

Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department takes on receipt of an HR1 form under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Officials check that the employer has complied with the statutory advance notification requirements of 90 days notice of 100 or more proposed redundancies in a 90-day period, or 30 days notice of between 20 and 99 proposed redundancies in a 90-day period. The information is then passed to the relevant local government offices and agencies so that they can take any appropriate measures to assist or retrain the employees in question. Job centre plus offers access to a range of support schemes designed to help those facing redundancy. It provides information on job searching; compiling CVs; further education and training for individuals who need to develop new skills; as well as benefits information. It liaises with the employer and other partners (The Regional Development Agency, the Local Learning and Skills Council (LLSC), the local authority, Chamber of Commerce), to assess the scale of any redundancy situation. If local partners agree it is 'large scale' Job centre plus calls on its Rapid Response Unit, which is a flexible service, tailored to the needs of the particular area, sector and company. The help required is agreed in discussion with the employer, and in liaison with the local government office and the LLSCs.

Venture Capital

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to increase access to venture capital for manufacturing firms in the North East.

Margaret Hodge: Manufacturing is still, and will continue to be, a very important part of the UK economy. The importance of manufacturing to the North East of England, and to the whole UK economy, is recognised in the Department of Trade and Industry's Manufacturing Strategy. Launched in 2002 and reviewed in 2004, the strategy sets out the actions needed to create a high value, high skill manufacturing sector capable of introducing new products and processes into our economy, creating new markets, and delivering a huge boost to our growth and prosperity.
	Government will continue to work with regional agencies, the business community, trade unions and others to ensure that the region (and the UK) makes the most of the opportunities to shift from low-cost/low added-value manufacturing to a sustainable, high added value, high skill, knowledge-led economy. We will continue to develop policies to achieve the right climate for business growth.
	The UK is widely acknowledged as possessing a dynamic and efficient financial market, meeting the financing needs of the majority of businesses. Nevertheless, a small but important minority of innovative, growth-oriented small businesses continue to face difficulties in attracting the funding (particularly risk capital and equity in the £500,000 to £2 million region) that they need to realise their ambitions, providing a case for targeted Government intervention to assist markets where these difficulties create a significant barrier to enterprise and innovation, and hence to productivity growth. Over recent years, the Government have played an important role in ensuring that markets work effectively and that any gaps or weaknesses are addressed. The provision of publicly supported finance schemes (loan, mezzanine and equity) for small businesses has increased significantly over the last few years, increasing access to funding for manufacturing firms and others in order to invest in new technologies and improve productivity.
	The Regional Venture Capital Fund (RVCF), an England-wide programme to provide risk capital in amounts up to £500,000, was created to support small growing companies, with £80 million of Government investment attracting a further £155 million from private sector investors. Capital North East (the North East RVCF) was launched in 2002, and the fund totalled £15 million.
	The consultation paper "Bridging the finance gap—a consultation on improving access to growth capital for small businesses" published jointly by HM Treasury and SBS/DTI in April 2003 set out what more could be done to ensure that entrepreneurs have access to the finance they need to turn their ideas into thriving businesses. This led to the creation of Enterprise Capital Funds (ECFs), which will invest a combination of private and public money in small high-growth businesses seeking between £250,000 and £2 million of equity finance. Four funds have been approved to date, with the possibility of further funds being announced, and although not targeted specifically at the North East, they will be available to SMEs in the region. North East enterprise agency Entrust is a partner in the Seraphim Capital Fund, one of the successful funds announced last month, and will act to promote and co-ordinate applications from regional companies seeking growth funding.
	Among schemes to support social enterprise and growth in disadvantaged areas, the Bridges Community Development Venture Fund is a £40 million, 50:50 partnership between Government and the Venture Capital industry. The fund is targeted at the most deprived 25 per cent. of areas of England and includes a number of North East wards. The Coalfields Enterprise Fund, launched by the Deputy Prime Minister in early 2004, is a venture capital fund specifically set up to finance growth-oriented companies and to encourage entrepreneurship in England's former coalfield areas. Investments are on a 50:50 co-investment basis between £40,000 and £500,000.
	The North East Equity Matching Fund (NEEMF) is an innovative and unique venture capital co-investment fund which aims to generate and increase Business Angel activity in the North East of England. NEEMF can match, on a pari passu basis, investments made by private investors or business angels who may not have sufficient resources to wholly fund the business or who wish to spread the risk. The investment range is from £25,000 to £100,000 in the first round with the capacity to aggregate up to £200,000 in a second round after nine months has elapsed. The total equity raised in the initial round must not exceed £250,000. Investments will usually be in the form of ordinary and/or preference shares and will be made at the same time as the private investment. The legal process is aimed at keeping time scales and costs to a minimum.
	European funding in the form of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is also used to support Venture Capital and Loan Funds (VCLFs) in the region. The North East Co-Investment Fund (CoIF) and the North East Proof of Concept (PoC) Fund are both managed by NorthStar Equity Investors. The Proof of Concept Fund is a convertible loan fund, investing in technology and science based SMEs and in activities leading to SME formation spun-out from the research and business base in the North East of England. The Co-Investment Fund (COIF) is a £23 million venture capital fund that invests alongside private investors in high-growth technology-focused SMEs.
	Equity is of course only a part of the overall funding picture and the North East region has also benefited from other publicly supported funds including the North East Investment Fund 3. Launched in 2003, this £18 million fund provides unsecured convertible loans for SMEs.

Women Entrepreneurs

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to promote venture capital funds for women entrepreneurs.

Margaret Hodge: The 'UK Survey of SME Finances 2004' identified that gender was not an issue for female entrepreneurs accessing external finance. Among established businesses, women-led businesses seek the same levels of external finance and are just as likely as male-owned business to obtain the finance they sought.
	While there is no universal gender issue regarding access to finance, depending upon their personal circumstances, some women do experience problems. In light of this, the SBS Women's Stakeholder Group and RDAs supported a series of regional 'Access to Finance' roadshow events for female entrepreneurs between January and June 2006.

Youth Training

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regular liaison takes place between his Department and  (a) other Government Departments and  (b) non-governmental organisations on the training of young people.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department has regular contact with a number of Government Departments on the training of young people such as Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions, HM Treasury, Department for Communities and Local Government, HM Revenue and Customs, Home Office, Department of Health, Ministry of Defence, Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, Cabinet Office and the devolved Administrations.
	The Department is also represented on several bodies which cover this area:
	Skills Alliance (includes Department for Education and Skills, Department for Work and Pensions and Treasury) which oversees the effective implementation of the Government's Skills Strategy.
	Skills Alliance Delivery Group (includes the Learning and Skills Council, Sector Skills Development Agency and Northwest Regional Development Agency) which supports the Skills Alliance in ensuring the effective delivery of the Government's Skills Strategy.
	Skills Alliance Social and Economic Partners (includes TUC, CBI and the Small Business Council) which stimulates wider engagement, agrees broad direction, and takes stock of progress on the skills agenda from a strategic perspective. Cross Government Forum for Enterprise whose remit includes finding ways to encourage enterprise learning among young people.
	School Science Programme Board.
	The Department also has regular contact with a number of other organisations including a wide range of business organisations and science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational organisations, the Learning and Skills Council, Regional Development Agencies, Regional Skills Partnerships, Investors in People, Job Centre Plus, Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, Head Teachers and Industry, Enterprise Insight, National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship, Sector Skills Councils and Sector Skills Development Agency.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Abortions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many therapeutic abortions were performed on women in Northern Ireland in each year since 1976, broken down by  (a) age of the woman,  (b) progress of the pregnancy and  (c) health board area.

Paul Goggins: The Abortion Act 1967 does not extend to Northern Ireland. Consequently the termination of a pregnancy is not permitted except where necessary to save the life of the mother or where continuation of the pregnancy would involve risk of serious injury to her physical or mental health.
	Due to the small numbers involved, information on medical abortions cannot be provided broken down by (a) age or by  (c) health board of residence as requested without risking the possible identification of individuals.
	Information on  (b) the progress of the pregnancy is not available centrally.
	The following table provides figures for the number of medical abortions recorded in Northern Ireland hospitals for each calendar year from 1995 (the earliest year for which robust data is available) to 2004 (the latest year for which information is available).
	
		
			   Medical abortions 
			 1995 72 
			 1996 64 
			 1997 80 
			 1998 71 
			 1999 76 
			 2000 82 
			 2001 75 
			 2002 76 
			 2003 73 
			 2004 59 
			 Total 592 
			  Source:  Hospital Inpatients System

Bilingual Translation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much it cost to provide bilingual translation services in the Department of  (a) Education and  (b) Health Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The information is as follows.
	The costs incurred by the Department of Education for translations of documents in the last five are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 20,345 
			 2002-03 16,262 
			 2003-04 10,817 
			 2004-05 13,655 
			 2005-06 (1)8,026 
			 (1) Figure for 2005-06 is not final due to outstanding invoices. 
		
	
	The costs incurred by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for translations of documents in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 45,039 
			 2002-03 95,620 
			 2003-04 31,467 
			 2004-05 9,746 
			 2005-06 26,520

Bonfire Safety

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of people who have suffered major burns in the run-up to the bonfire season in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The following table details the number of admissions to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of burns for each month during 2004-05 (the latest year for which data is available). For the purpose of this answer, any burn that required hospital admission has been deemed a major burn.
	It should be noted that any individual could have been admitted to hospital more than once over the course of a year and would therefore be counted more than once in the figures.
	
		
			  Month of admission  Admissions( 1)  due to burns 
			 April 2004 24 
			 May 2004 37 
			 June 2004 20 
			 July 2004 27 
			 August 2004 26 
			 September 2004 25 
			 October 2004 27 
			 November 2004 31 
			 December 2004 28 
			 January 2005 31 
			 February 2005 29 
			 March 2005 27 
			 Total 332 
			 (1) Deaths and Discharges are used as an approximation to admissions.  Source: Hospital Inpatients System DHSS&PS. 
		
	
	The NI Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is a member of an inter-agency Working Group on Bonfires. This group, which includes representatives from a wide range of statutory bodies, aims to educate people on the dangers of bonfires and to give advice on how to act safely around them. The NIFRS also works closely with Community Safety Partnerships on issues such as this.

Brain Gym

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to public funds was of implementing the 'brain gym' programme in Northern Ireland's schools in 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The Regional Training Unit (RTU) which provides training to the education sector in Northern Ireland offers 'brain gym' training through its summer school programme. In 2005-06 the cost of RTU training from public funds was £5,920.00. None of the education and library boards directly funded the 'brain gym' programme in Northern Ireland's schools in 2005-06. Individual schools may purchase training from their delegated budgets, but to obtain details of any such expenditure on 'brain gym' expenditure could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Care Leavers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the new regulations and guidance announced by his Department in Northern Ireland on 25 May 2005 to improve services for young people leaving care.

Paul Goggins: The Children (Leaving Care) Act (NI) 2002 and supporting regulations and guidance came into operation on 1 September 2005.
	The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) appointed a Regional Implementation Project Officer in September 2005 to contribute to the successful implementation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act, by ensuring that a framework is established to support the development of consistent standards and practices across Northern Ireland, so that young people leaving care are afforded optimal life chances as they make the transition to independent living. A number of working groups are currently working on the implementation of various aspects of the legislation taking account of both the guidance and regulations. A complete baseline analysis of the leaving care population was undertaken at the end of September 2005. This analysis will be repeated at the end of September 2006.
	On 8 June 2006, the Department hosted a 'stock take' conference. This provided an opportunity for Health and Social Service Trust leaving and after care teams to share their experience of the new legislation and the implementation process to date. The Department will also host an assessment seminar on the implementation of the legislation in November/December 2006, i.e. roughly one year after the introduction of the legislation. The views of young people affected by the legislation and other stakeholders will be sought on all aspects of the legislation including the operation of the regulations and guidance.

Corporation Tax

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has discussed the impact on business growth in Northern Ireland of different rates of corporation tax between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Maria Eagle: The Secretary of State has discussed with business leaders a range of policy initiatives to stimulate the Northern Ireland economy, including the issue of a reduction in the rate of corporation tax. However, taxation is an excepted matter, which is the responsibility of HM Treasury.

Departmental Estate

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) land and  (b) property his Department (i) owns and (ii) rents in each constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The NIO holds 70 properties of which 37 are leased and 33 owned.
	The constituency background is as follows:
	
		
			   Leased  Owned 
			 North Down 6 19 
			 West Belfast 1 0 
			 South Belfast 13 0 
			 East Belfast 10 4 
			 Londonderry 1 0 
			 Lagan Valley 0 2 
			 Mid Ulster 2 0 
			 West Tyrone 2 0 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 1 0 
			 Strangford 1 8 
			 Total 37 33 
		
	
	The NIO does not hold any land other than the land on which the property is based.

Education and Library Board Expenses

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on  (a) travel and  (b) attendance for each independent member of the South Eastern Education and Library Board in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 365W. Details of the emoluments paid annually by the South Eastern Education and Library Board to its members are published in the Board's annual reports and annual accounts, copies of which are placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These include details of the highest payment for any Board member, the aggregate amount of emoluments, and the number of members who received emoluments falling within a five-band range.

Energy Efficiency

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent in Northern Ireland on raising public awareness of energy efficiency in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Northern Ireland Government Departments incurred the following expenditure for the promotion of energy efficiency in Northern Ireland over the last five years.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 1,269,600 
			 2002-03 1,470,000 
			 2003-04 2,331,000 
			 2004-05 2,516,600 
			 2005-06 4,172,200

Gas

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions has he has met representatives of Phoenix Gas to discuss gas prices in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: Angela Smith, the Minister formerly responsible for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, met with representatives of Phoenix Natural Gas (PNG) on three occasions in the last 12 months.

Illegal Food Imports

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much illegal food product was seized at each airport in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many people have been prosecuted.

David Cairns: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Belfast International Airport 
			   Number of seizures  Animal and plant product total (Kg) 
			 2001 11 18.5 
			 2002 72 500.5 
			 2003 28 289 
			 2004 11 83 
			 2005 15 240.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Belfast City Airport 
			   Number of seizures  Animal and plant product total (Kg) 
			 2001 42 278.72 
			 2002 287 1568.362 
			 2003 208 1477 
			 2004 332 2556.6 
			 2005 279 1452.5

Litter/Dumping

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fixed penalty notices for  (a) litter and  (b) illegal dumping in Northern Ireland (i) were issued, (ii) were paid, (iii) were rescinded and (iv) remained outstanding six months later in each of the last three years.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment does not hold information on the number of fixed penalty notices issued for littering. There are currently no legislative powers to issue fixed penalty notices for illegal dumping. However, The Local Government (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 permitted councils to retain receipts from fixed penalty notices issued for littering and dog fouling from 1 December 2005. It also gave the Department of the Environment the power to obtain information on the use of its fixed penalty receipts. Information on the use of the receipts, together with other relevant information, will be requested after the scheme has been operating for one year.

Mental Health

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were diagnosed with  (a) schizophrenia and  (b) catatonia in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The number of people diagnosed with  (a) schizophrenia and  (b) catatonia in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years is not available as some people with such problems are not in contact with healthcare providers in a hospital setting. However, information is available on the number of in-patients in mental health hospitals in Northern Ireland as at 31 March 2003 and 2004, The following table provides figures on the number of such in-patients who had been diagnosed with  (a) schizophrenia and  (b) catatonia.
	
		
			   Diagnosis 
			  As at 31 March  (a) schizophrenia  (b) catatonia 
			 2003 111 7 
			 2004 105 6 
			  Source: Northern Ireland Psychiatric Census of long-stay and detained patients.

Mental Health

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) males and  (b) females have suffered from (i) severe depressive illness, (ii) catatonia and (iii) a prolonged or severe manic episode in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by age group.

Paul Goggins: Information on the total number of people suffering from (i) severe depressive illness, (ii) catatonia and (iii) a prolonged or severe manic episode is not available as some people with such problems are not in contact with healthcare providers in a hospital setting. However, information is available on the number of in-patients in mental health hospitals in Northern Ireland as at 31 March 2003 and 2004. The following table provide figures on the number of such in-patients who had been diagnosed with (i) severe depressive illness, (ii) catatonia and (iii) a prolonged or severe manic episode. The small numbers involved make it unsafe to disclose the age-group and gender of these diagnostic groups without risking patient confidentiality.
	
		
			   As at 31st March 
			  Diagnosis  2003  2004 
			 (i) Severe Depressive Illness 9 8 
			 (ii) Catatonia 7 6 
			 (iii) Prolonged or Severe Manic Episode <5 5 
			  Source: Northern Ireland Psychiatric Census of long-stay and detained patients.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of overnight accommodation for  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in each Northern Ireland Department, including the Northern Ireland Office, staying overnight in the (i) UK, (ii) the Republic of Ireland and (iii) other countries in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The cost of overnight accommodation for civil servants employed by Northern Ireland Departments, excluding the Northern Ireland Office, for the period 1 November 2004 to 31 March 2006 is set out as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   UK  ROI  Others 
			 2004-05 139 1.5 1.5 
			 
			  (with effect from 1 October 2004  onwards)
			 2005-06 276 7.4 8.4 
		
	
	These figures relate only to accommodation booked through the NICS contracted booking agent and do not include any accommodation booked through other channels as to obtain this information would be at disproportionate cost. Costs of accommodation booked through the booking agent prior to 1 November 2004 are not available. Costs by Department are also not available.
	The cost of overnight accommodation and subsistence for civil servants employed by the Northern Ireland Office for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  £000 
			   Amount 
			 2003-04 456.9 
			 2004-05 375.5 
			 2005-06 472.3 
		
	
	It is not possible to separate the cost of overnight subsistence and hotel accommodation for NIO civil servants or to split the spend over UK, ROI and others except at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) The cost of overnight accommodation for special advisers for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   UK  ROI  Others 
			 2003-04 77 209 1,044 
			 2004-05 324 0 263 
			 2005-06 1,416 172 0

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discounts are available in relation to hotel accommodation used by  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in each Northern Ireland Department including the Northern Ireland Office.

David Hanson: Northern Ireland Departments including the Northern Ireland Office use Hotel Booking Agents to book hotel accommodation and on average obtain a 40 per cent. discount.

National Stadium

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on consultants' fees for the project for a new national stadium in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, together with the Strategic Investment Board (SIB), has spent a total of £205,394.34 (excluding VAT) on consultants' fees for the project for a new multi-sports stadium for Northern Ireland.

Nuclear Emergency Drills

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what nuclear emergency drills involving local authorities and emergency services are planned over the next 12 months.

David Cairns: Government Departments in Northern Ireland are not planning any nuclear emergency drills involving local authorities and emergency services over the next 12 months.

Nuclear Power

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what role the Government expect nuclear power to play in meeting the future energy needs of Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: The Government's policy in relation to energy in Northern Ireland is contained in the Strategic Energy Framework. The framework does not anticipate nuclear new build in Northern Ireland.

Population Statistics

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons of working age there were in Northern Ireland in each March to May period since 1997; what proportion of those people were  (a) in employment,  (b) in full-time education or training,  (c) unemployed and  (d) economically inactive but not in full-time education or training; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The requested breakdown of the working age population in Northern Ireland can be found in the following table. It shows that during the period March-May 1997 to March-May 2005, the working population in NI increased by 59,000, with the proportion of those in employment increasing and the proportion unemployed falling. The proportion in full-time education also showed a slight increase, whereas there was a marginal fall in the proportion who were economically inactive but not in full-time education.
	
		
			  Breakdown of the NI working age population( 1) , 1997 to 2005 
			Percentage 
			  Reference period( 2)  Working age population  In Employment  Full-time education( 3)  Unemployed  Economically inactive (not in full-time education) 
			 1997 989,000 66.4 8.4 5.5 21.5 
			 1998 997,000 66.9 8.3 5.3 21.6 
			 1999 1,002,000 66.5 9.1 5.3 21.2 
			 2000 1,009,000 64.8 9.3 5.0 22.8 
			 2001 1,018,000 66.9 8.9 4.5 21.8 
			 2002 1,026,000 67.2 9.9 3.9 21.4 
			 2003 1,034,000 69.3 9.2 3.9 20.3 
			 2004 1,041,000 66.6 10.1 3.4 22.2 
			 2005 1,048,000 68.0 9.7 3.4 21.2 
			 (1) The working age population refers to ages 16-59 for females and 16-64 for males.  (2) Figures relate to the period March to May of each year.  (3) It is possible for persons to be counted under the full-time education category and also under the 'In employment' or 'Unemployed' categories e.g. if a full-time student also has a part-time job. The categories are therefore not mutually exclusive and will total to a figure in excess of 100 per cent.   Source:  NI Labour Force Survey.

Population Statistics

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of the Northern Ireland population is aged  (a) 65 years and over and  (b) 18 to 64 years; and what the forecasts are for (i) 2007, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2015.

David Hanson: The following table gives the population estimates and proportion of the total population for the year 2004, and projections for the years 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2015, for the Northern Ireland population aged 18 to 64 years, and 65 years and over.
	
		
			   Aged 18 to 64 years  Aged 65 years and over  Proportion aged 18 to 64 years (Percentage)  Proportion aged 65 years and over (Percentage) 
			 2004(1) 1,039,400 233,400 61 14 
			 2007(2) 1,072,800 243,900 62 14 
			 2009(2) 1,083,500 255,600 62 15 
			 2010(2) 1,088,700 261,300 62 15 
			 2015(2) 1,103,400 293,700 62 16 
			 (1 )Estimate (2 )Projection

Preventive Health Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been allocated to preventive health care for men, with particular reference to early detection of prostate cancer, in each trust area in Northern Ireland over the last three years.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to identify the money allocated to preventive healthcare for men in each trust area. Health promotion initiatives such as tobacco and diet control are targeted at men and women.
	No specific funding has been allocated by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the early detection of prostate cancer to each trust.
	The National Screening Committee has reviewed the current research evidence and does not recommend screening for prostate cancer. The main reason is that the current tests have limited accuracy and so follow-up procedures could cause harm to healthy men. Men with prostate cancer symptoms are encouraged to seek early advice from their GP. They may ask for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. However, to enable them to make an informed decision about the PSA test, they need to know about its limitations and the potential side effects which may occur following surgery, which include incontinence and impotence.

Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what administrative costs have been incurred by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in connection with the programme for building sustainable prosperity.

David Cairns: The Department's administrative costs associated with the judicial reviews by Hillsborough golf club are estimated to be £14,100.

Programme for Building Sustainable Prosperity

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what legal costs have been incurred by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the judicial reviews by Hillsborough golf club in respect of its application for funding under the programme for building sustainable prosperity.

David Cairns: The Department's fees associated with these legal procedures are estimated to be £52,000.00 excluding VAT.

Prostate Cancer

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 455W, on prostate cancer, what percentage of males over the age of 85 years in Northern Ireland are estimated to have prostate cancer.

Paul Goggins: The following table details information on the prevalence(1) of prostate cancer (ICD-10 C61) by age band in Northern Ireland since 1993.
	
		
			  Prevalence of prostate cancer by age in Northern Ireland 2003 
			  Age  Prevalence of prostate cancer( 1)  Male population( 2)  Percentage of population living with prostate cancer 
			 59 and under 345 699,777 0.05 
			 60 to 64 400 39,360 1.02 
			 65 to 69 639 32,407 1.97 
			 70 to 74 676 26,067 2.59 
			 75 to 79 484 19,552 2.48 
			 80 to 84 291 12,465 2.33 
			 85 and over 124 6,863 1.81 
			 All ages 2,959 836,491 0.35 
			 (1) Prevalence has been estimated by counting the number of patients diagnosed between 1 January 1993 and 31 December 2003 with prostate cancer, who were still alive on 31 December 2003. This may represent an undercount of the actual number of people living with prostate cancer as those diagnosed prior to 1993 and still alive at the end of 2003 are not included.  (2) 2004 mid-year population estimate, NISRA. 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Road Safety

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on educating children in the safe use of bicycles on roads in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by Westminster constituency.

David Cairns: Education in the safe use of bicycles is included in school-based activities promoted and supported by the Department of the Environment's road safety education officers. Cycling proficiency training is the main focused safe cycling activity. The Department also provides funds to the Road Safety Council for cycling championships.
	Information on expenditure is not held by Westminster constituency nor is grant broken down by area. The following table contains the expenditure on cycling proficiency from 2001-02 to 2005-06 by education and library board area and funding to the Road Safety Council for cycling championships from 2003-04 to 2005-06. It does not include costs for road safety education officers' time and travel.
	
		
			   North Eastern Education and Library Board  Southern Education and Library Board  Western Education and Library Board  South Eastern Education and Library Board  Belfast Education and Library Board  RSC Cycling Grant  NI Total 
			 2001-02 17,086 21,698 11,868 10,594 3,967 — 65,213 
			 2002-03 18,606 35,272 12,344 14,203 1,714 — 82,139 
			 2003-04 35,055 35,755 25,825 27,880 15,927 4,422 144,864 
			 2004-05 17,408 28,604 13,107 11,020 3,616 2,493 76,248 
			 2005-06 22,482 29,045 16,405 14,217 7,553 4,090 93,792 
			 Total 110,637 150,374 79,549 77,914 32,777 11,005 462,256

Road Tax

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1647W, on road tax, if he will break down the figures for detections by the number of detections in each of the areas of detection.

David Cairns: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland (DVLNI) treats Northern Ireland as one area for the detection of unlicensed vehicles and no geographical breakdown is recorded.

School Governors

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requirement there is for members of the boards of governors of schools to undergo child protection training.

Maria Eagle: School governors are not required by law to take up child protection training.
	However, it is a duty of the board of governors of a grant-aided school to safeguard and promote the welfare of its registered pupils and to determine measures to be taken at the school with a view to protecting pupils from abuse.
	The education and library boards have a duty to provide training for school governors in their responsibilities and this includes child protection. In the interests of child protection the Department has decided that, from 1 September 2006, at least one governor on every school staff recruitment and selection interview panel should be trained in recruitment and selection including child protection issues. It is a matter for each board of governors to invite its members to self nominate for such training.

School Governors

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people from the business sector have applied to become school governors since May 2005.

Maria Eagle: Complete records of the occupations of those who applied for school governors posts since May 2005 are not readily available. However, the Department has actively encouraged people with management skills e.g. business, financial and personnel management expertise, including those from within the business sector, to come forward to volunteer as school governors.

School Performance

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will update the information in table 5.2 of the Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2005 to show the figures for school performance in different parts of the United Kingdom in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: Figures for 2005-06 are not yet available. The requested information for 2004-05 is as follows:
	
		
			  Qualification level  Percentage 
			  Percentage achieving 2+ A-levels A-E  
			 Northern Ireland 97 
			 England 95 
			 Wales 94 
			   
			  Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-C  
			 Northern Ireland 61 
			 England 57 
			 Wales 52 
			   
			  Percentage achieving 5+ GCSEs A*-G  
			 Northern Ireland 89 
			 England 90 
			 Wales 85 
			   
			  Percentage achieving no GCSEs  
			 Northern Ireland 3 
			 England 4 
			 Wales 7 
			  Notes:  1. The Northern Ireland figures exclude special and independent schools and pupils with statements of special educational needs.  2. A-level figures are expressed as a percentage of pupils in the final year of an A-level course in Northern Ireland; as a percentage of all 16 to 18-year-olds in schools entered for at least one A-level in summer of the academic year in England; and a percentage of all candidates entered for two or more A-levels in Wales.   Sources:  DE, DfES, National Assembly for Wales.

School Suspensions/Expulsions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were  (a) suspended and  (b) expelled from a school in Northern Ireland in the past school term, broken down by education board.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Education does not hold information on suspensions and expulsions for the past school term. The Department gathers statistics on suspensions and expulsions on an annual basis from each of the education and library boards.
	The following table details the number of pupils suspended in each education and library board in the 2004-05 school year:
	
		
			  Education and library board  Number of pupils suspended 
			 Belfast 1,100 
			 Western 975 
			 North Eastern 1,333 
			 South Eastern 960 
			 Southern 1,046 
			 Total 5,414 
		
	
	The following table details the number of pupils expelled in each education and library board in the 2004-05 school year.
	
		
			  Education and library board  Number of pupils expelled 
			 Belfast 7 
			 Western 11 
			 North Eastern 26 
			 South Eastern 9 
			 Southern 10 
			 Total 63

Shadow Councils

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the level of remuneration will be announced for those persons returned to the shadow councils in Northern Ireland in 2008.

David Cairns: Decisions on remuneration for councillors elected in the 2008 local government elections will be made when there is a clearer picture of the responsibilities of the shadow councils and the governance arrangements under which they will operate.
	However, I expect shortly to receive the report from the Councillors' Remuneration Working Group which was established last year and this will inform decisions on the scheme of remuneration for councillors in the current and future systems of local government. It is too early to say when these decisions will be announced.

Smoking

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated percentage is of  (a) under 16-year-olds,  (b) 16 to 25-year-olds and  (c) over 25-year-olds in Northern Ireland who are smokers, broken down by sex.

Paul Goggins: The information is not routinely available for the precise age bands requested. Information relating to the percentages of smokers by age and sex, in Northern Ireland, is presented in the table for the following age groups: under 16-years-old, 16 to 24-years-old and 25+.
	
		
			  Age group  Percentage smokers 
			  All  
			 Under 16 13 
			 16-24 29 
			 25+ 26 
			 All persons 16+ 26 
			   
			  Male  
			 Under 16 11 
			 16-24 27 
			 25+ 27 
			 All persons 16+ 27 
			   
			  Female  
			 Under 16 15 
			 16-24 29 
			 25+ 25 
			 All persons 16+ 25 
			  Sources: Young Persons Behaviour and attitude Survey 2003 (NISRA)—for those aged under 16. Continuous Household Survey 2004-05 (NISRA). CHS—for those aged 16+.

Sports Council for Northern Ireland

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Sports Council for Northern Ireland has received from  (a) the Exchequer and  (b) the Lottery in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Sports Council for Northern Ireland has received Exchequer and Lottery funding for the last five years as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Exchequer and lottery funding received by Sports Council for Northern Ireland 
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Exchequer 3,356,324 5,276,074 7,096,278 5,940,896 6,636959 
			 Lottery 8,254,768 7,300,142 6,616,575 7,016,652 7,294,239

Staff Surveys

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1605W, on staff surveys, why the total number of staff surveys carried out by the Department of the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister increased from three in 2003-04, to  (a) 18 in 2004-05 and  (b) 14 in 2005-06.

David Hanson: Business units in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister have made increasing use of staff surveys as an efficient means of assessing the business needs of the internal users of their services. The majority of the surveys have been conducted electronically and were aimed at obtaining feedback and suggestions on how services could be improved.

Terrorist Prisoners

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in which wing in Maghaberry prison the person convicted in 2005 of the manslaughter of James McGinley is serving his sentence; what his likely release date is; and which terrorist organisation has most members in the same wing.

Paul Goggins: Bartholomew Fisher, the person convicted in 2005 of the manslaughter of James McGinley is located in separated accommodation in Roe House. His earliest date of release is 19 August 2006. Those held in this accommodation in Roe House are perceived to be affiliated to a range of republican organisations.

Tourism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Northern Ireland Tourist Board has to target potential tourists from the Republic of Ireland during summer 2006.

Maria Eagle: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board office in Dublin includes a Tourist Information Centre (TIC) and also a Marketing Team. The purpose of the Dublin office is to promote tourism in Northern Ireland to Republic of Ireland (RoI) residents, International tourists holidaying in Ireland, Travel Trade, Business Tourism and RoI Media.
	Currently the NITB advertising budget for the Republic of Ireland for 2006-07 is £469,000.
	Promotion to potential tourists from RoI during 2006 is already well under way through a series of marketing activities which include:
	(a) Tourist Information Centre services—Reservations, Information and Short-Break Brochure promotion;
	(b) Travel Trade Assistance, Support and Familiarisation Trips to Northern Ireland;
	(c) Consumer Show promotion at various shows throughout Republic of Ireland;
	(d) PR which results in press coverage in RoI print media, radio and TV.
	The prime vehicle for promotion to RoI visitors during 2006 is via campaigns surrounding the Short Breaks Euro Brochure. This year's Short Breaks brochure is being complemented by a number of tactical marketing campaigns which include promotions via the national RoI press, radio advertising, web promotions, and direct mail etc.

Unemployment

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were unemployed in each of the last three years in Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle: Estimates of unemployment are produced from the Northern Ireland Labour Force Survey and the latest figures relate to the period February-April 2006. Figures for this period and for the same period in the previous two years can be found in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of people unemployed in Northern Ireland, 2004-06 
			  Reference period  Number unemployed 
			 February-April 2004 39,000 
			 February-April 2005 38,000 
			 February-April 2006 39,000 
			  Source:  NI Labour Force Survey

Unpaid Penalties

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total was of unpaid court  (a) costs,  (b) compensation orders and  (c) fines imposed by (i) magistrates courts and (ii) the Crown court in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what percentage in each category have subsequently been quashed.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Detailed accounting records are retained by the NI Court Service for three years only. Information for the last three financial years is set out as follows. Penal sums imposed in one year may be paid in the next following year. Consequently the amount outstanding for each year will include sums which may be paid and sums which may be quashed in subsequent years. Sums cleared otherwise than by payment include those remitted or reduced on appeal, where the defendant served a period of imprisonment in default of payment, or where the police return a warrant to the court unexecuted.
	
		
			  Summary of magistrates court fines, costs and other party payments 2003-04 to 2005-06 inclusive 
			   Fines  Costs  Other parties 
			  Imposed (£000)
			 2003-04 6,788 55 956 
			 2004-05 7,725 52 1,015 
			 2005-06 7,877 57 1,174 
			 
			  Outstanding (£000)
			 2003-04 4,517 37 824 
			 2004-05 5,638 34 875 
			 2005-06 5,854 30 1,007 
			 
			  Received (£000)
			 2003-04 4,363 60 623 
			 2004-05 4,866 48 714 
			 2005-06 5,547 56 750 
			 
			  Percentage cleared otherwise than by payment as percentage of imposed
			 2003-04 23 0 24 
			 2004-05 24 0 24 
			 2005-06 28 0 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Summary of Crown court fines, costs and other party payments 2003-04 to 2005-06 inclusive 
			   Fines  Costs  Other parties 
			  Imposed (£000)
			 2003-04 757 0 357 
			 2004-05 993 0 2,460 
			 2005-06 527 0 739 
			 
			  Outstanding (£000)
			 2003-04 92 0 183 
			 2004-05 91 0 1,442 
			 2005-06 66 0 788 
			 
			  Received (£000)
			 2003-04 328 0 258 
			 2004-05 832 0 445 
			 2005-06 535 0 1,299 
			 
			  Percentage cleared otherwise than by payment as percentage of imposed
			 2003-04 22 0 5 
			 2004-05 21 0 30 
			 2005-06 45 0 12 
			  Note:  Sums rounded to the nearest £000.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Pensions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for how many pensions the Department is responsible in relation to people  (a) above and  (b) below retirement age; and how many of these people previously accrued pension rights at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for pension costs for staff leaving on early departure grounds (excluding ill health retirement). DFID is responsible for meeting the full costs of compensation, including the early payment of pensions until age 60.
	When staff retire on age grounds their pension costs are met centrally from the outset. We are not therefore responsible for the pensions of any former staff above the retirement age.
	We are currently responsible for the pension costs of 67 former members of staff below the pension age, of these three were inherited from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Disability Access

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether any building in his Department falls short of disability access regulations.

Gareth Thomas: Detailed access audits were carried out in 2004; this included suitable and sufficient assessments of the facilities in place and those which needed to be considered to allow all persons to enter, circulate and work safely at DFID premises. This audit was carried out with a wide range of potential users in mind, including persons with mobility and sensory impairments.
	The audit addressed the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, and identified a number of reasonable adjustments to our buildings which have since been implemented. These adjustments have included:
	improved disabled wheelchair access,
	provision of tactile and visual warning signage, and
	availability of portable induction loops.
	Where reasonable adjustments are not possible for structural reasons, a disability management plan has been introduced to address the audit recommendations.

Indonesia

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on delivering aid to Indonesia following the earthquake.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has been in close contact with EU counterparts since the earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java on May 27. DFID officials have participated in frequent co-ordination meetings in Jakarta and Yogyakarta on emergency relief, and are now in regular contact with the European Commission and other member states about longer- term reconstruction needs and the case for financial contributions. The preliminary damage and loss assessment, a joint report by the Government of Indonesia and international partners, was presented to donors on June 14. It provides a basis for longer-term reconstruction and recovery assistance, and ways to deliver this are now being considered. No firm decisions have yet been taken by EU member states on financial contributions to the recovery effort, except by the Netherlands which has announced a contribution of €10 million.

Senegal

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much bilateral aid the United Kingdom is providing to the Republic of Senegal in 2006-07; and how much he expects to be channelled via the European Union.

Hilary Benn: The UK Government have no bilateral assistance programme with Senegal nor plans to establish one. The UK provided £4.9 million in 2004-05, mainly comprising debt relief and purchases of private equity investments.
	DFID assistance is mainly channelled through the EC and other multilateral agencies. The EC allocated €227 million to Senegal from EDF9 funds for the period 2002-07. Given the attribution of assistance channelled through the EC, it is not possible to predict accurately what the UK share will be in 2006-07.

Senegal

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in the Republic of Senegal.

Hilary Benn: Localised food insecurity is reported in several parts of Senegal, particularly the poorest Casamance region which is badly affected. Here it has been made worse by fighting in Guinea-Bissau between Senegalese separatist rebels and the Guinea- Bissau army. The World Food Programme estimates that approximately 2,100 people fled the fighting into Casamance, living with family and friends in the city of Ziguinchor. Given the region's limited resources and potentially high flows of additional refugees and displaced people, humanitarian vulnerability and food insecurity could increase if the fighting does not end soon.

DEFENCE

Air Manufacturing Sector

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his strategy is for minimising any adverse impact on the UK air manufacturing sector arising from the proposals within the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to minimise the impact of the Defence Industry Strategy in reducing air sector jobs; and if he will make a statement.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to minimise any adverse impact on air sector jobs that may result as a consequence of the proposed re-structuring and rationalisation proposed in the Defence Industrial Strategy;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to maintain UK capability within the air sector.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Industrial Strategy identified that once Typhoon and the Joint Combat Aircraft have been introduced into service, there is no requirement for a new-design manned aircraft beyond our extant plans although future procurements of uninhabited and/or manned platforms are envisaged. The consequent long term decline in new programme work is expected to lead to a significant rationalisation of the UK defence aerospace business. That is why MOD is negotiating with BAE Systems on the terms of the business rationalisation and transformation agreement required to facilitate the effective sustainment of the industrial skills, capability and technologies—wherever they may be in the supply chain—that will be important to our ability to operate, support and upgrade our fast jet combat aircraft through life. We aim to work with the company during 2006 to agree the way ahead—and to implement it from 2007.
	The MOD is also planning to invest in UAV Technology Demonstrator Programmes (TDP) to better understand technologies that are likely to play an important role in this future military capability. The investment should also help sustain aerospace engineering and design capabilities in the UK, providing further assurance of our ability to operate and support our future fixed wing aircraft. We expect to be in a position to announce the commencement of the TDP later this year.

Army Personnel (Working Hours)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours were worked per week on average at each regular trained junior rank in the Army in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Tom Watson: The Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) carry out a continuous sample survey of working patterns which provides an estimate of the average working hours per person, per week, for each service, but the sample is insufficient to report on average working hours at the level of detail requested.
	The results of the 2004-05 survey gave an estimate of an average of 46.7 "hours worked" per week for all regular trained junior ranks in the Army. Data for 2005-06 are not yet available.
	"Hours worked" includes time spent carrying out normal work, secondary duties, compulsory fitness training, organised sports and representational activities, but excludes meal and tea breaks and time spent on call. The figures are not therefore comparable to calculations of "hours worked" in civilian professions.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the projected capital costs are for the refurbishment of the A-90 and A-45 buildings at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston;
	(2)  how much is allocated to each new building project  (a) under way and  (b) planned in the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston site development strategy.

Des Browne: Mature costings are not available for these facilities and disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected capital costs are for replacement buildings to house the Core Punch Facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston.

Des Browne: A number of options are under consideration. Mature costings are not available and disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the replacement hydrodynamic testing facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston will be complete.

Des Browne: A number of options are under consideration regarding the replacement hydrodynamics testing facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment. Completion dates are dependent on the option selected.

Burghfield Facility

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of plans to build a new assembly/disassembly facility at Burghfield.

Des Browne: A number of options are still under consideration for the maintenance of assembly/disassembly facilities at AWE. No decisions have yet been taken.

Defence Export Contracts

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is giving to British defence companies in helping them to secure export contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what practical assistance the Government are offering to BAE Systems to help secure export contracts.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) co-ordinates Government support for the export of the products and services of the UK defence industry. DESO brings overseas customers and UK suppliers together and provides an integrated approach to markets. In addition DESO provides professional military support, including demonstrations of equipment being considered by customers and organises visits to the UK by senior government and military personnel from overseas.

Defence Medical Services

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to improve the Defence Medical Services since 1997.

Tom Watson: In 1997 the Government announced a foreign policy-led strategic defence review (SDR) to reassess Britain's security interests and defence needs and consider how the roles, missions and capabilities of our armed forces should be adjusted to meet the new strategic realities.
	The resulting report, in July 1998, placed a great emphasis on the deployability of our forces, including the requirement to ensure that our armed forces are properly supported in the field—a key aspect of which is the provision of timely, modern and effective medical support.
	A medical quinquennial review (MQR) which reported to Parliament in April 2002 developed detailed proposals for the effective delivery of deployable operational medical capability and appropriate, timely health care to maximise the availability of service personnel for deployment.
	The MQR identified a need for a much stronger focus on delivery of key outputs, with responsibilities for both central and single service authorities. It recommended new managerial tools (including an annual DMS service delivery plan and a DMS management board) to achieve this.
	The MQR also advocated a further strengthening of the partnership between the DMS and the NHS. This was achieved through the MOD and Department of Health signing a formal concordat (in September 2002) at ministerial level and, at official level, the establishment of a MOD/NHS partnership board to oversee effective co-operation.
	The MQR also rationalised the existing medical agencies as follows:
	An expanded Defence Medical Training Organisation (DMTO), renamed the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency (DMETA), became responsible for all the training and training-related activities of the Defence Secondary Care Agency (DSCA);
	Responsibility for the provision of secondary health care to service personnel in the UK, previously handled by DSCA, would now be handled within DMSD;
	The Medical Supplies Agency was transferred out of the DMS to become part of the Defence Logistics Organisation.
	In terms of improvements to DMS treatment facilities, the DMS no longer run separate military hospitals. The decision was taken to close them because they no longer had sufficient patient volume and case mix to develop and maintain the skills of our medical personnel to the appropriate operational and NHS standards. We created Ministry of Defence hospital units located within NHS hospitals at Birmingham, Derriford, Frimley Park, Northallerton/Middlesbrough, Peterborough and Portsmouth. They provide the most effective way of giving the UK armed forces patients access to the latest advances in medical treatment and the major recent investments in NHS facilities. The integration of service personnel throughout the NHS trust also enables DMS staff to take advantage of NHS expertise and to maintain their own clinical skills in an active, up-to-date environment.
	We have also introduced regional rehabilitation units (RRUs). A total of 12 RRUs have been established within the UK, with similar facilities in Germany and Cyprus, to provide assessment and treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders. They were introduced to alleviate pressure on the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court and to provide more accessible regionally-based facilities. Patients are referred from unit medical facilities, where the simpler injuries would be diagnosed and treated. The benefit is that patients are assessed and treated in a timely fashion and receive the optimal high quality treatment and rehabilitation to maximise functional outcome and return to operational fitness when this is clinically possible. Specifically, the RRU system leads to reduced overall patient waiting times, earlier access to diagnosis and therefore quicker treatment and patient monitoring throughout the rehabilitation programme on an individual basis by physiotherapists and remedial instructors at the RRU. For example, most patients who undergo a simple knee arthroscopic procedure are currently being returned fit for task within four months, and patients who undergo an anterior cruciate ligament repair procedure are being returned fit for task in about seven months.
	Additionally, to improve our patient care, in 2005 the MOD set up a Defence Medical Rehabilitation Evaluation Co-ordination Cell to support personnel injured on operations. This improves the co-ordination of care from the point of entry into UK until the individual is returned to full fitness or is medically discharged from the service. It also improves the provision of a clinical assessment and decisions on the most appropriate care from a consultant-led multi-disciplinary team.
	With regard to mental health care, an independent review of mental health care provision to the armed forces, undertaken by a leading consultancy in the field, recommended that out-patient care be provided in regional departments of community mental health (DCMH) and in-patient care be contracted out to a suitable independent or NHS provider. We have 15 DCMHs across the UK plus satellite centres in Cyprus, Germany and Gibraltar. The Priory Group won the competition to provide in-patient care. Patients can now be admitted much closer to their home or base.
	The MOD recently announced a new mental health care initiative for recently demobilised reservists, which will include the opportunity for a dedicated mental health assessment by appropriately qualified members of the DMS. Details of the programme will be confirmed later this year, including the location(s) at which the assessments will be provided, and the date on which the service will commence.
	In terms of operational improvements, DMS support to the deployed force has benefited from investment in modern equipment designed to meet the specific needs of deployed medical capability; this uplift in capability has included the development and deployment of a telemedicine capability, digital imaging, CCAST (critical care aeromedical evacuation support team) and haemostatic products. These improvements have been backed by improved operational training, doctrine and through the lessons learnt process.
	There are also three current projects which will contribute significantly to improvements in the DMS:
	First, the Managed Military Health System for Force Generation project (MMHS) was conceived to improve the pan-DMS management and delivery of health care (medical and dental) to the armed forces and other entitled personnel. MMHS has the threefold aim of maximising the number of armed forces personnel 'fit for task', contributing to deployed medical operational capability and improving morale in the DMS. The scope of the MMHS project is to cover the UK non-deployed medical capability only, but many of the changes expected from it will beneficially impact on health and health care provision across the MOD including the overseas Commands.
	Second, the director general medical operational capability project (DG Med Op Cap) has been set up to determine how to optimise the delivery of medical capability to support operations and ensure the process will deliver continual quality assurance and improvement in clinical output. The intended outcome of this project is the delivery of properly trained personnel with the right equipment and sustainability, to meet the requirements of the front line commanders-in-chief in the most effective and efficient manner.
	Third, the defence medical information capability programme (DMICP) is a major business change programme enabled by IT which will provide an integrated health care information system across the DMS, and will also link to the NHS's major new national programme for IT. DMICP will provide many benefits with the overarching benefit being more service personnel fit for task. It will provide DMS doctors and dentists with immediate access worldwide to complete, up-to-date electronic medical and dental records, supported by the latest clinical decision support software and online reference material, giving greater support to service clinicians, analysts and administrators in all aspects of their work. In April 2006 my predecessor announced the award of an £80 million contract which aims to have the first stages of DMICP phased in from the beginning of next year, initially to medical and dental units in barracks, air stations, naval bases, and then, after 2008, on military deployments.

EU Defence

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the European Defence Agency's plans to create an EU defence research budget; and what contribution the UK will make to such a fund.

Des Browne: There are no plans for the European Defence Agency (EDA) to create an EU defence research budget. The priority for the Government in relation to the EDA is to increase the amount spent on research and technology within Europe not to centralise these resources. The United Kingdom continues to work with the Agency and partner nations to achieve this aim and to ensure that, through mutually beneficial cooperation, we may leverage the maximum value from the money spent in this important area.

EU INSPIRE Directive

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the European Union's INSPIRE directive on the security of Royal Navy vessels  (a) in port and  (b) on deployment.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 1384-85W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth).

Fylingdales Radar Complex

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions his Department has held with the US Administration on updating the radar complex at Fylingdales; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Since the Government agreed in 2003 to the US request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales, officials have had regular and frequent discussions with their US counterparts about the progress of the upgrade; this continues to be the case.

Hutton Report

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at what time of day, and on what day, the press statement from his predecessor, the right hon. Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), on the appointment of Lord Hutton to conduct an inquiry into the death of Dr. David Kelly was  (a) cleared for release and  (b) released under embargo to the media.

Des Browne: My right hon. Friend, the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) did not issue a press statement on the appointment of Lord Hutton while he was serving as the Secretary of State for Defence. A press notice was issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on 21 July 2003.

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many casualties were treated on Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus during the period 18 March 2003 to 18 May 2003; and how many of those were classed as injured in combat;
	(2)  how many casualties were treated by 202 Field Hospital during the period 18 March to 18 May 2003; and how many were classed as injured in combat.

Des Browne: holding answer 8 May 2006
	Records from these two facilities are currently being cross-checked and verified against our existing records from the Shaibah Facility, Aeromed returns and Notification of casualty reporting. I will write to the hon. Member once this process is complete.

Iraq

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many casualties were treated by 33 Field Hospital in the period 18 March 2003 to 18 May 2003; and how many of those were classed as injured in combat.

Tom Watson: holding answer 8 May 2006
	From the 17 March until the 8 April 2003, 33 Field Hospital was deployed in Iraq as the theatre reserve. It then returned to the United Kingdom. We are currently verifying its records for the period it was deployed to Iraq. I will write to the hon. Gentleman once this process is complete.

Iraq

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many injured personnel were treated  (a) aboard (i) RFA Argus, (ii) Royal Navy ships and (iii) Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships and  (b) in British field hospitals during Operation Telic; and what type of injury each had sustained;
	(2)  how many UK personnel injured in Iraq since 2003 were treated by US medical personnel in US facilities;
	(3)  how many personnel who served in Iraq have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured since 2003;
	(4)  how many of each type of injury has been sustained by UK forces in Iraq since 2003;
	(5)  what steps the Department is taking to collate centrally comprehensive injury figures for personnel involved in Operation Telic;
	(6)  what the record of casualties is from Operation Telic.

Des Browne: As at 28 May 2006, we very much regret that a total of 113 UK military and civilian defence personnel have died, or are missing presumed dead, while serving on Operation Telic since the start of the campaign in March 2003.
	Of these, 84 are classed as killed in action, including as a result of hostile action, 29 are known to have died either as a result of illness, non-combat injuries or accidents, or have not yet been officially assigned a cause of death pending the outcome of an investigation. These figures may change as inquests are concluded.
	During the period March 2003 to the end of April 2006, the best centrally available, verified, figures show that: around 240 UK military and civilian personnel have been treated at the UK's main Field Hospital in Shaibah for wounds received as a result of hostile action and; up to 4,000 UK personnel were medically evacuated from Iraq from all causes, the majority due to accident, illness, or for routine outpatient activities.
	Separate records for the same period from Notification of Casualty reporting (NOTICAS), show that around 40 UK military and civilian personnel have been categorised as Very Seriously Ill/Injured/Wounded (VSI) from all causes, and that around 75 personnel have been categorised as Seriously Ill/Injured/Wounded (SI) from all causes. These figures include some personnel treated for wounds received as a result of hostile action. The figures are only comprehensive, including personnel treated at non-UK facilities, from April 11 2005 onwards. During the early phases of Operation Telic the tempo of operations meant that the paperwork associated with the NOTICAS process was not always completed properly and we cannot be certain our records are complete.
	We are working to improve our casualty reporting for Operation Telic. We are currently verifying records from the other Field Hospitals which deployed on Operation Telic including RFA Argus, and are engaging with the US to find out a comprehensive figure on how many personnel were treated at their facilities. As far as we know no UK personnel serving in Iraq were treated on Royal Navy or Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships other than RFA Argus. We are also in the process of transferring the paper records sent back from medical facilities deployed on Telic to the Central Health Records Library.

Iraq

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which locations British troops are being treated for injuries sustained in Iraq.

Des Browne: Role 1 Medical Treatment Facilities (providing Primary Healthcare, specialised first aid, triage, resuscitation and stabilisation) in Iraq are at the following locations:
	Al Udeid (Aeromedical Evacuation Liaison Officer and Primary Healthcare Nurse)
	Baghdad (Aeromedical Evacuation Liaison Officer and Primary Healthcare Nurse)
	Basra air station
	Seeb (Medical Admin Primary Healthcare and Aeromedical Coordinator)
	Tallil (UK Aeromedical Evacuation Liaison Officer deployed to US 2 Medical Brigade)
	A Role 2 Medical Treatment Facilities (reception and triage of casualties, resuscitation and treatment of shock to a higher level than a Role 1 facility) is located at Al Muthanna/Al Amarah.
	A Role 3 Medical Treatment Facilities (Field Hospital) is located at Shaibah Logistical Base.
	Additional medical provision is also available in theatre from coalition forces.
	When patients are aeromedically evacuated to the UK, care can also be provided in Cyprus at The Princess Mary Hospital, RAF Akrotiri, if required.
	Since 2001, the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham, has been the main receiving unit for patients aeromedically evacuated from an operational theatre. Following clinical needs assessment at Selly Oak, if a long hospital stay is expected, patients can be transferred to a hospital closer to their home for less acute treatment, enabling them to be nearer to their family. The decision to do this is based on comparative waiting times and on convenience for the individual patient and their family.
	Patients with multiple injuries including amputees and those with brain injury are transferred to Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court.
	Patients with moderate or minor musculoskeletal injuries, who have been assessed and given a working diagnosis and a planned care pathway are referred to the appropriate Regional Rehabilitation Unit at: Aldershot, Bulford/Tidworth, Catterick, Colchester, Cranwell, Edinburgh, Halton, Honnington, Lichfield, Headley Court (near London), Plymouth, Portsmouth, Gütersloh (Germany) and Hohne (Germany).
	Patients requiring treatment for a mental health condition are referred to one of the MOD's regional Departments of Community Mental Health at Kinloss, Leuchars, Faslane, Aldershot, Brize Norton, Catterick, Colchester, Cranwell, Marham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Tidworth, Donnington, Woolwich and Lisburn, or satellite centres overseas.
	Patients aeromedically evacuated from Iraq by US forces may be treated at US facilities in Ramstein, Germany, before continuing to Selly Oak for treatment in the normal way.
	Personnel who are normally based in Germany and who are injured in Iraq will usually be aeromedically evacuated to the UK in the normal way. If, on subsequent return to Germany, they require follow-up treatment, they are treated at the medical facilities used by the garrisons at Mönchengladbach, Paderborn, Osnabrück, Gütersloh or Hohne.

Nuclear Weapons

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on research into nuclear weapon science in each of the last 20 years.

Des Browne: A very wide and diverse range of individual research topics might conceivably be interpreted as falling within the scope of the overarching description "nuclear weapons science". Costs are neither collected nor reported in such a way as to enable the compilation of complete, definitive or reliable totals to meet this description. Such figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost, if at all. Overall Ministry of Defence research statisticsare however published annually by the Defence Analytical Services Agency and can be found at www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/ukds/2005/ukds.html.

Nyala Armoured Vehicle

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the suitability of the Nyala RG-31 armoured vehicles for use in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence considered the RG-31, alongside a number of alternatives, to supplement our current fleet of vehicles, but concluded that its size and profile did not meet our needs.

Orion Laser

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected capital costs are for the production of the Orion laser at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston.

Des Browne: Project Orion has a maximum contract value of £183 million against the current contract deliverables.

Orion Laser

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to co-ordinate Orion laser production with the National Ignition Facility.

Des Browne: None. Orion is a UK facility.

Parliamentary Questions

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply substantively to Question 74482 on the classification of al-Qaeda and Taliban forces as insurgents or as terrorists, tabled for named day answer on 8 June.

Des Browne: I replied to the hon. Member on 15 June.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to answer question 57160, on defensive aids in Hercules aircraft, tabled by the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South on 6 March 2006.

Adam Ingram: I hope to be in a position to answer the hon. Member shortly.

QinetiQ

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stake  (a) the Government and  (b) Carlyle retains in QinetiQ following the initial public offering in January.

Adam Ingram: The successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) of QinetiQ took place on 10 February 2006. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) continues to own 19.3 per cent. of the ordinary shares of the company and the Carlyle Group 10.5 per cent. The MOD has also retained a special share in QinetiQ to protect the defence or security interests of the United Kingdom.

QinetiQ

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage interest his Department retains in the profits on future disposal or revaluation of property assets of QinetiQ.

Adam Ingram: As part of the Vesting Agreement between the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and QinetiQ in 2001 a Property Clawback Agreement was signed, through which the MOD retained an interest in future profits on disposal of QinetiQ property assets, to ensure that the MOD and therefore the taxpayer, gains from past investment. A summary of this agreement, which extends until 2013, was set out in the QinetiQ Global Offer Prospectus, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 26 January 2006 (see p154). Management of the QinetiQ estate is the responsibility of the company.

Royal Ordnance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will visit the former Royal Ordnance sites at Bridgwater and Chorley to discuss future contracts.

Adam Ingram: The Secretary of State for Defence has no plans to visit the BAES Land Systems sites at Bridgwater and Chorley.

Terrorism

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the UK has taken to combat terrorism in  (a) Djibouti,  (b) Eritrea,  (c) Ethiopia,  (d) Kenya,  (e) Somalia,  (f) Sudan and  (g) Yemen as part of the war on terror.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not provided bespoke counter-terrorism assistance to Djibouti, Eritrea or Ethiopia.
	The EU arms embargo in Sudan and the UN arms embargo in Somalia prohibit the provision of military assistance and training to those countries.
	Some counter-terrorism assistance has been provided to Kenya and Yemen as part of HMG's extensive wider engagement with the region. However, I am withholding details of support provided by the Ministry of Defence because its disclosure would be to the detriment of the safety of individuals and to international relations.

HEALTH

Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been provided by her Department for addiction treatment and rehabilitation in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: In 2001, the Government introduced the pooled drug treatment budget (PTB) to spend money directly on delivering suitable drug treatment, as well as improving access to treatment for example for offenders via drug intervention programmes, and supporting drug misusers after they come out of treatment, for example aftercare and supporting people.
	This funding has increased yearly since the creation in 2001, along with the Government's estimated yearly local mainstream spend. Details are shown in table one as follows.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  £ million 
			   PTB  Local funding( 1)  Total 
			 2001-02 142 145 287 
			 2002-03 191 131 322 
			 2003-04 236 200 436 
			 2004-05 253 (2)204 457 
			 2005-06 300 (2)208 508 
			 (1) Local authorities, primary care trusts, police and probation. (2) Estimated. 
		
	
	There is no central funding provided for alcohol treatment. It is the responsibility of the local primary care trusts and their partners to fund the treatment needed for their community. We do not routinely collect data on the amount of funding they have provided for alcohol treatment, so we are unable to provide year on year details. However, the alcohol needs assessment research project, published November 2005 conducted a more in-depth survey for 2005 and reached a conclusion that about £217 million is being spent on alcohol treatment.

Age Adjustment Percentage

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum age adjustment percentage is for areas with a high proportion of people aged over 75 years.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 17 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1117-18.

Audiology

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to introduce a target to reduce waiting times for digital hearing aids.

Ivan Lewis: We have no plans to introduce a target to reduce waiting times for digital hearing aids.
	Information on the 18-week targets, including guidance on the principles and definitions and FAQs: 'Adult hearing services and 18 weeks' is available at:
	www.18weeks.nhs.uk.

Biological Diversity

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department plans to take to monitor the extent to which public bodies which report to her comply, from October, with their duty to conserve biodiversity in exercising their functions, under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

Caroline Flint: Under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, all public bodies have a duty to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity in the exercising of their functions. There is no statutory obligation on Departments to monitor the extent to which public bodies comply with this duty. However, we understand the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working with a wide range of partners to develop guidance for public bodies to support the implementation of this duty and will involve all relevant Departments on the development of guidance.

Care Homes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department is taking to promote positive public attitudes towards care homes.

Ivan Lewis: The Government believes that care homes are one of a range of options that should be available for supporting people with long-term care needs. Most people want to live in their own home for as long as possible. To this end, there has been substantial investment in other care settings, such as domiciliary care and extra care housing. We believe that no one should be admitted into a care home until all other options have been explored and discussed with the service user, their carers and relatives.
	However, we recognise that there will always be people who need or want the type of care that only care homes can provide. For them, care in a care home will be best suited to their needs and wishes and care homes offer them a positive choice.
	The Government have introduced national minimum standards (NMS) for care homes, domiciliary care and adult placements. The NMS are intended to ensure vulnerable and older people can live in a safe environment, where their rights and dignity are respected and staff are properly trained. All care homes in England are regulated, registered and inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). CSCI regulates care homes in accordance with statutory regulations and the NMS. CSCI has strong enforcement powers and will take action to protect the welfare of residents, with the aim of raising the quality of care and level of protection for vulnerable people and ensuring that service users and their families can be confident that their welfare and interests are safeguarded.

Care Proposals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the criteria in the letter sent to strategic health authority chief executives of 16 February entitled 'Moving care closer to home' apply to mental health and learning disability trusts.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The White Paper, "Our health, our care, our say", set out a new vision for the future of community health and social care services. Paragraph 6.43 made the following commitment:
	"PCTs taking current decisions about the future of community hospitals will be required to demonstrate to their SHA that they have consulted locally and have considered options such as developing new pathways, new partnerships and new ownership possibilities. SHAs will then test PCT community hospital proposals against the principles of this White Paper."
	The Department wrote to strategic health authorities on 16 February reminding them of this commitment and setting out practical arrangements. This letter specifically related to community hospital consultations, rather than those relating to mental health and learning disability trusts.

Cattle

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is her policy that the removal of specified risk material from cattle is a public health protection measure the costs of which should be met by the Government as defined in recommendation 26 of the Meat Industry Red Tape Working Group Report of December 1999.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for policy on the financing of official controls on the removal of specified risk material from cattle. The FSA has proposed recently that charges should be phased in to gradually recover from the meat industry an increasing amount of the cost of the controls. The FSA is currently in the process of liaising with stakeholders about this matter following which there will be full public consultation.

Childhood Cocaine Addiction

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been treated for  (a) cocaine addiction and  (b) cocaine-related illnesses in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold this information centrally.
	A major national survey conducted with over 9,000 secondary school children aged 11 to 15 showed that in 2005, 2 per cent. of pupils had taken cocaine in the previous year, a figure which has not changed since 2001(1).
	(1) "Drug Use, smoking and drinking among young people in England in 2005", National Centre for Social Research/National Foundation for Educational Research.

Childhood Eating Patterns

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has commissioned to study influences on childhood eating patterns.

Caroline Flint: A key component of the "Choosing Health" white paper is the commitment to develop a healthy living social marketing campaign. We have therefore undertaken an intensive desk research project, reviewing published data, alongside research findings from a range of stakeholders including Government, academia, non-governmental organisations and the commercial sector. The next phase in the development of the social marketing campaign involves commissioning quantitative and qualitative research. The plan is for this research to be completed later this year.

Childhood Immunisation

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how primary care trusts are providing childhood immunisation services for families in areas where GPs have opted out of providing them; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: If a general practitioner (GP) opts out, then 1 per cent. is removed from the GPs global sum payment. This allows the primary care trust (PCT) to re-provide with another contractor or self-provide.
	If a PCT were to re-provide, it would need to specify the performance management of those services. The PCT would be held to account for their performance, through their commissioning arrangements with service providers, by the strategic health authority.
	In addition, PCTs could commission a separate local enhanced service, defining the population to be served and routes to achieve uptake.
	Supporting local innovation in designing their services, or strengthening existing successes, is a priority for the Department.

Childhood Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the relationship between childhood obesity and  (a) household income,  (b) parental education level,  (c) hours of television watched per week and  (d) hours of sport provided at school per week.

Caroline Flint: The data draw on statistics from the Health Survey for England (HSE) from 1995 to 2004 and comparative work done by the Joint Health Surveys Unit on behalf of the Department.
	Table 1, which represents household income, indicates that there is some social class gradient in childhood obesity but no clear trend. There is more obesity in the two lowest quintiles than the highest.
	
		
			  Household income, aged two to 10 with valid body mass index (BMI) 2001-02 
			  BMI status equivalised annual household income quintile 
			  Percentage 
			   Highest  Second  Third  Fourth  Lowest 
			 Obese 13.30 12.50 14.20 16.30 15.80 
			   
			  Bases  
			 Weighted  
			 Aged two to 10 955 1,133 1,361 1,351 1,431 
			   
			 Unweighted  
			 Aged two to 10 861 1,028 1,208 1,118 1,144 
			  Source: Joint Health Surveys Unit, National Centre for Social Research (2005). 
		
	
	No data are available comparing obesity prevalence and parents' education levels. However, we can use the national statistics social-economic classification (NS-SEC) which provides a social classification system that classifies groups on the basis of employment relations, based on characteristics such as career prospects, autonomy, mode of payment and period of notice.
	Table 2 shows that the children of parents in managerial and professional professions are less likely to be obese than those in semi-routine and routine professions, but there is no clear relationship between obese children and their parent's professions in other categories.
	
		
			  NS-SEC of household, BMI status NS-SEC of household reference person 
			   Percentage 
			 Managerial and professional occupations 12.40 
			 Intermediate 16.40 
			 Small employers and own account workers 14.40 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 16.30 
			 Semi-routine and routine 17.10 
			  Source: Joint Health Surveys Unit, National Centre for Social Research (2005). 
		
	
	Table 3 illustrates that the upward long-term trends in obesity prevalence coincide with the upward long-term trends in time spent playing digital games, including television watching time. These trends cannot be considered in isolation as other activities, for example the number of children driven to school, which may contribute to obesity will also have changed during this time period.
	The Department is aware of the research from North America, which demonstrates calorie consumption increasing with number of hours of television watched.
	
		
			  Digital games 
			   Number  
			   Boys  Girls  Percentage obese children 
			 1986 36 12 — 
			 1990 42 16 — 
			 1994-95 50 20 9.90 
			 1996 52 20 10.60 
			 1998 64 24 11.60 
			 2001 73 35 13.10 
			 2004 74 47 14.30 
			  Source: Health Survey for England 1995-2004; Health Education Unit Time Series. 
		
	
	The HSE measures physical activity levels that are categorised as active (active for 60 minutes per day for seven days in the last week—the Government's recommended levels of physical activity) or insufficiently active (active at a lower level). This classification includes activities such as physical education and school sport, structured and unstructured play in and out of school time and active travel to and from school.
	Table 4 shows that there is a weak correlation between obesity and physical activity levels, with small differences in the percentage of obese children classified as active or inactive.
	
		
			  Activity 
			  Percentage 
			   Active  Inactive 
			 Boys 13 16 
			 Girls 14 15 
			 Source: Joint Health Surveys Unit, National Centre for Social Research (2005).

Children's Hospices

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the written statement of 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 10WS, on children's hospices, whether additional funding will be provided for non-hospice-based children's palliative care services;
	(2)  when she anticipates funding for children's hospices to start; how much of the funding announced will be distributed in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09; whether this funding will be sourced from the Department of Health's central budget; which hospices will receive funding; and what the mechanism will be through which the funding will be allocated.

Ivan Lewis: Children's hospices play a valuable role in the provision of palliative care for disabled children and young people or those with complex health needs and their families and I am pleased that we have been able to provide additional funding to them. But they are only one aspect of children's palliative care. We want to see children and their families have a real choice as to where they receive their care so that they can live as normal a life as possible for as long as possible. Our White Paper, "Our health, Our care, Our say", expects primary care trusts to ensure that the right model of service is developed by undertaking a review to audit capacity and delivery of integrated pathways against national service framework standards and then to agree service models, funding and commissioning arrangements with their strategic health authorities. The White Paper also restates the Government manifesto commitment to increase funding for end of life care which includes palliative care for children and young people. We will make an announcement about funding this manifesto commitment as soon as we can.
	We announced that £9 million per year would be available to voluntary children's hospices for the next three years starting from this financial year and it will be centrally funded. This will enable services funded by the Big Lottery Fund to continue, pending the outcome of a review of children's hospice services and their funding arrangements. We will publish funding criteria and arrangements for allocation as soon as possible.

Chlamydia

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Chlamydia there have been in each primary care trust in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Data on the number of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection are published in Mapping the Issues: HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United Kingdom: 2005. The report is available at: www.hpa.org.uk/hpa/publications/hiv_sti_2005/pdf/MtI_FC_report.pdf
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Clinical Negligence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answers of 4 April 2006,  Official Report, column 195W, on clinical negligence, and 25 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1080W, on the NHS Litigation Authority, what the reason is for the difference in the answers in relation to whether information on the funding arrangements of claimants is collected by the Litigation Authority.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 12 June 2006
	My previous reply sought to clarify the position set out in my reply on 4 April 2006 to question 62399 concerning whether information on the funding arrangements of claimants is collected by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA).
	The NHSLA record the legal funding arrangements of claimants when legal proceedings are issued. As a defendant organisation, they will not necessarily know about the funding status of claims that are pre-litigation. Claimants are not required to declare funding arrangements until the litigation process is entered. Information held by the NHSLA on the funding arrangements of claimants is therefore necessarily incomplete.

Community Hospitals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for further guidance identified in the letter sent to strategic health authorities of 16 February entitled "Moving care closer to home"; what impact this will have upon current proposals to reduce provision of community hospitals in Gloucestershire; and how the Secretary of State will ensure that proposals have been fully consulted upon with the people affected by service changes.

Caroline Flint: The further guidance identified in the letter sent to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 16 February entitled "Moving care closer to home" will be published in the coming weeks. It will outline the next steps to be taken in relation to the commitments on community hospitals made in the White Paper "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services".
	The guidance includes information on patient and public involvement, specifically when making changes to community services. However, the principle that making decisions on local healthcare provision, including the closure of community or cottage hospitals, is a matter for primary care trusts and SHAs will remain.

Complementary Medicine

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what complementary medicine is provided by the NHS; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  if she will estimate how much the NHS has spent on providing complementary medicine to patients in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what guidelines are issued to general practitioners concerning referrals to complementary medicine practitioners; and whether there are requirements for the effectiveness of complementary therapies to be scientifically substantiated.

Caroline Flint: The Government consider that decision making on individual clinical interventions, using either complementary or more orthodox treatments, is a matter for local national health service providers and practitioners. There are therefore no centrally held records on what complementary medicines are provided by the NHS or how much is spent on their provision.
	When making any clinical decision, general practitioners are expected to consider safety and effectiveness. In 2000, the Department produced an information pack for both primary care groups and primary care clinicians to provide a basic source of reference on complementary medicine and to support individual clinical judgment.

Complementary Medicine

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been funded by the NHS on how cost-effective complementary medicine is; and what the conclusions were.

Andy Burnham: Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with complementary medicine, are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research The register contains no record of NHS-funded research on how cost-effective complementary medicine is.

Computer Sciences Corporation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications of the announcement by the Computer Sciences Corporation of a reduction of 1,200 jobs across the UK on its contract with the NHS in the north west and the north Midlands.

Caroline Flint: The Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency has sought and received assurances from the Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) that plans to restructure its workforce in the United Kingdom will have no impact on the company's ability to comply with its contractual obligations as local service provider for the national programme for information technology's north west and west Midlands cluster area.
	The company has provided the agency with the following statement:
	"CSCs current programme of staff reductions will not have any detrimental impact on CSC's work to support the national programme. CSC is fully committed to the national programme, shares the vision, and is determined to continue building on the successes achieved to date. CSC has further strengthened and enhanced the management team this year and fully expects to see the programme at the forefront of its priorities throughout the lifetime of the contract. CSC believes that this intent is demonstrated by the substantial number of projects already deployed, and the current user base of some 30,000 NHS staff. The head of CSCs NHS programme would be quite willing to meet with the MP for Blackpool South to provide further background and confidence."
	Major rollout of new services and systems is well under way in the cluster area, and the pace and scale of deployments continues to accelerate.

Connecting for Health

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) budget and  (b) outturn was for Connecting for Health in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; and what the proposed outturn is for 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: The Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency came into being on 1 April 2005. The agency's primary responsibilities are for delivering the national programme for information technology, and maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority. Outturn running cost expenditure for 2005-06 was £144 million against a budget of £178 million. The equivalent budget for 2006-07 is £168 million.
	The pace and scale of deployment of new national programme systems and services is accelerating on a weekly basis, and the budget increase over 2005-06 mainly reflects targets for continuing expansion through the year in support of the Department's plans for developing, procuring and implementing integrated information technology infrastructure and systems in all NHS organisations in England by 2010. In the course of the coming year we anticipate, for example, that choose and book will be effectively deployed, full deployment of release one of the electronic prescription service, further upgrading of NHS care records service software providing ever richer functionality, and complete roll-out of the new broadband connections across the NHS by the end of the financial year.

Connecting for Health

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the progress statistics alongside targets on the Connecting for Health website.

Caroline Flint: National programme for information technology cluster deployment statistics are already routinely published on the NHS Connecting for Health website, and updated in a form which provides a comprehensive, at-a-glance snapshot of progress to date. They can be found at:
	www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/delivery/servicemanagement /statistics/service
	A summary of NHS Connecting for Health programme and management activity targets is contained in the agency's annual business plan. The 2005-06 business plan is published on the agency website at:
	http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/publications/busplans
	A copy of the 2006-07 business plan will be published shortly.
	If suggestions are received for publication of further national programme performance statistics, and how these compare with those of other information technology service delivery organisations, they will be considered.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letter of 4 May 2006 from the hon. Member for Walsall, North concerning constituents.

Rosie Winterton: A reply was sent on Wednesday 14 June 2006.

Cystic Fibrosis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of services for people with cystic fibrosis.

Ivan Lewis: We have made no assessment of the effectiveness of services for those living with cystic fibrosis.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received representations from dentists who have not been paid by their primary care trust for work undertaken under a new general dental services contract or a new personal dental services agreement.

Rosie Winterton: Primary care trust (PCT) payment functions for dentistry are exercised on PCTs' behalf by the NHS Business Services Authority (Awdurdod Gwasanaethau Busnes y GIG) Dental Practice Division (BSA DPD). The BSA DPD reports that the vast majority of payments due to dentists since 1 April 2006 have been paid correctly and on the due date. Where dentists have made representations about incorrect or missing payments the BSA DPD has contacted the relevant PCT, checked that the dentist is entitled to payment, and corrected the position.

Detailed Care Record

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will have access to an individual's detailed care record; and across which NHS boundaries.

Caroline Flint: Local national health service organisations have the responsibility for determining which of their staff may access the detailed care records available within the particular deployment of new information technology systems to that organisation. Sophisticated tools are being developed and provided by NHS Connecting for Health to enable local organisations to restrict access to records to those staff involved in an individual's care in accordance with the guidance provided in the Department's publication "Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice".
	NHS Connecting for Health is implementing e-Government interoperability framework (eGif) level three standards for the registration and authentication of staff. This provides a high level of assurance that only bona fide personnel have access to the care record service. eGif level three requires a face-to-face meeting, and the provision of official documentation and authentication to systems, using a two-factor approach. NHS Connecting for Health use a smartcard and a passcode.
	When fully deployed, NHS Connecting for Health-delivered systems will utilise a number of separate mechanisms, including consent/dissent, legitimate relationships, role-based access and sealed envelopes. Consent/dissent provides for patients to formally opt-out of sharing their clinical data. Legitimate relationships restrict access to only those clinicians involved in the patients care. Role-based access identifies the staff role and only allows access to the relevant part of the record, for example, restricting the access a receptionist has to clinical details. Sealed envelopes allow a patient to restrict access further to particularly sensitive parts of their record.
	These controls have been designed to put the patient at the heart of care rather than having restrictions based on NHS organisational boundaries.
	Initially, as systems begin to be rolled out, access to an individual's detailed care record will still be restricted to the originating organisation. This will gradually be extended to local health communities and eventually across larger areas as the scope of the access controls are extended and the systems capable of utilising them are deployed.
	In addition the NHS care record service specifies strict audit requirements that log which individuals have accessed which records. This will provide an unprecedented level of traceability and assurance, and is in very marked contrast to the significant risk of casual and unauthorised inspection associated with current paper-based and electronic systems.
	More information can be obtained from www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/technical/security.

Drug Addiction

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of how many children aged  (a) 0 to 11,  (b) 12 to 16 and  (c) 17 to 18 years are dependent on (i) cannabis, (ii) nicotine, (iii) heroin and (iv) crack cocaine in (A) England, (B) each English region and (C) the Tees Valley.

Caroline Flint: The data requested is not collected centrally.

Drug Addiction

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have undergone treatment for drug addiction in programmes designed to get them off drugs entirely and immediately, as opposed to harm reduction and other similar programmes, in each year since the Government's drug strategy was introduced; and how many came off drugs, including substitute prescribed drugs, completely in each year.

Caroline Flint: Information about drug services is not collected in a way that allows us centrally to identify treatment programmes in England designed to get drug mis-users off drugs immediately as opposed to an approach of harm reduction and stabilisation. The majority of programmes which are designed to get drug users off drugs entirely and immediately are provided within inpatient treatment, but successful completion of an in-patient programme does not necessary mean immediate abstinence from all drugs.
	As part of comprehensive local drug treatment provision we would expect there to be a mix of services to meet the individual needs of all drug mis-users. The Government's overall objective has not changed and remains for as many problem drug mis-users as possible to become drug free over time.

Drug Addiction

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have undergone treatment for drug addiction in each year since the Government's drug strategy was introduced; and how many came off drugs, including substitute prescribed drugs, completely in each year.

Caroline Flint: The number of individuals recorded as in contact with structured drug treatment services for the past two years is shown in table one:
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Number 
			 2003-04 125,545 
			 2004-05 160,450 
		
	
	The 1998-99 baseline against which these figures are calculated is 85,000. The Department's public service agreement (PSA) is to double the numbers in treatment between 1998 and 2008.
	The National Treatment Agency (NTA) introduced a revised and more accurate methodology for counting the numbers in treatment in October 2004. Figures are not available on the new methodology for the years 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03. Figures will be available for these years later in autumn 2006.
	We are unable to estimate how many people have stopped mis-using drugs including substitute prescribed drugs completely, however figures showing those who have successfully completed treatment, having been discharged from inpatient drug treatment services are given in table two. Numbers for years prior to 2003 are not available. Successful completion of inpatient drug treatment programmes may be the first step to achieving long term abstinence, but will not always mean they are off all drugs immediately.
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers successfully completed treatment of those discharged 
			   Number 
			 2003-04 13,000 
			 2004-05 15,800

Drug Tariff

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reintroduce the Price Increase Mechanism for Part 9 of the Drug Tariff.

Andy Burnham: We are considering when it will be appropriate to open discussions on the Price Increase Agreement in the light of the continuing overall review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff.

Eileen Trust

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the time plan is for the proposed business plan for the Eileen Trust.

Caroline Flint: The Eileen and Macfarlane Trusts have requested an increase in their funding. This proposal is still being considered and the Minister of State for Public Health hopes to meet the Chairman shortly.

Electronic Health Records

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what beacon electronic health record sites were established under her Department's Information for Health: an information strategy for the modern NHS 1998 to 2005, published in September 1998; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 16 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 940-1W, to the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb). Beacon sites were those piloted under the electronic records demonstrator and implementation programme.

Emergency Contraception

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  under what powers primary care trusts can make prescription of the morning after pill to children under 16 years without parental knowledge or authority a condition of obtaining a pharmacy licence; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what advice her Department has issued to pharmacy companies whose policy it is not to prescribe emergency contraception over the counter without prescription to under 16-year-olds; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  which primary care trusts have made the prescription of the morning after pill to children under 16 years without parental authority a condition of granting a pharmacy licence; how many pharmacies have been refused a licence because of their refusal to comply with this condition; and how many  (a) appealed against the decision and  (b) were successful in such an appeal in the last year for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: A primary care trust (PCT) decides applications to provide national health service pharmaceutical services under the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/641 as amended). Under Regulation 12, a PCT only grants an application if it is satisfied it is necessary or desirable to do so in order to secure the adequate provision of pharmaceutical services in a local neighbourhood. This is known as the control of entry test.
	However, under the reforms we introduced in April 2005, certain types of application are exempt from that test (regulation 13), namely:
	premises in an approved retail area which is over 15,000 square metres gross floor space and sited away from town centres;
	premises which the applicant will keep open for at least 100 hours a week; or
	premises within a new one-stop primary care centre.
	It is only in respect of Regulation 13 applications that a PCT can directly specify that a pharmacy provides additional pharmaceutical services, from a list of services set out in the Pharmaceutical Services (Advanced and Enhanced Services) (England) Directions 2005 (as amended). The PCT must have specified what additional services are required in advance of the application. One such service a PCT may specify is the provision of emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) to females of child-bearing age. This is an enhanced service by virtue of Direction 4(1) (k) and possibly (m) if a patient group direction.
	It is for the applicant to decide whether or not to make an application under one of these exemptions. If an applicant does not wish to provide the additional services specified by a PCT for an exempt application, it may instead apply to provide services under the conventional route in Regulation 12. This does not allow a PCT to specify additional services that applicants are to provide.
	The Department does not collect data on the number of PCTs which have specified the provision of EHC as a required additional service for an application made under Regulation 13, nor the number of refusals of applications by PCTs on these grounds or subsequent appeals. However, The Information Centre for health and social care publishes general data on applications to provide pharmaceutical services and appeals annually. The next bulletin for the year 2005-06 will be published later this year.
	The family health services appeal unit of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) deals with appeals relating to these regulations. The NHSLA produces an annual report every autumn. The website of the appeal unit at www.nhsla.nhs.uk reports details of appeal decisions, of which only one up until May 2006 related to EHC. This appeal was dismissed.

Emergency Contraception

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many morning-after pills were distributed by each primary care trust in Gloucestershire in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information available is shown in the tables. Information on emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) supplied under a patient group direction (PGD) is not held centrally.
	Family planning clinic services for Gloucestershire are provided by Cotswold and Vale primary care trust (PCT). The total number of occasions on which clinics run by this PCT prescribed post-coital contraceptives is published annually but the published figures include some instances where an intrauterine device was fitted. Cotswold and Vale PCT was created on 1 April 2002 and data for 2000-01 and 2001-02 relate to its predecessor organisations providing family planning clinic services, East Gloucestershire National Health Service Trust and Severn NHS Trust.
	
		
			  Occasions on which hormonal post-coital contraceptives dispensed at family planning clinics provided by Cotswold and Vale PCT, 2000-01 to 2004-05( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 2,125 
			 2001-02 1,652 
			 2002-03 1,652 
			 2003-04 1,462 
			 2004-05 1,096 
			 (1) Data is collected by financial year  Source: Information Centre for health and social care return KT31 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of items (prescriptions)( 1)  for hormonal post-coital contraception prescribed in Gloucestershire for the last four calendar years( 2) 
			 Prescriber name  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT 1,089 1,042 911 890 
			 Cotswold and Vale PCT 1,472 1,501 1,354 1,155 
			 West Gloucestershire PCT 1,404 1,475 1,345 1,265 
			 (1) The data show the number of times a prescription written by a prescriber for whom the PCT was responsible was dispensed either by a community pharmacy or by a dispensing doctor. (2) A full year's data for 2001 is not available  Source:  ePACT

Food Poisoning

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of cases of food poisoning there have been in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The number of notified cases of food poisoning in England and Wales reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) each year since 2001 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Notified cases of food poisoning in England and Wales( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2001 85,468 
			 2002 72,649 
			 2003 70,895 
			 2004 70,311 
			 2005 70,727 
			 (1) http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/noids/food_poisoning.htm  Note: Data for 2005 is still provisional and may be subject to change. 
		
	
	Notified cases of food poisoning do not represent the total burden (or numbers of cases) of food poisoning, but they do provide an indication of changes in trends with time. Notifications of food poisoning are based on clinical findings and/or epidemiological links and there is no obligation to identify the causative organism or the vehicle of infection.
	Based on laboratory reports and multiplication factors derived from a large study of infectious intestinal disease the HPA estimated that, in 2003, there may have been as many as 843,049 cases of food borne illness acquired in England and Wales, of which around 253,000 consulted a doctor(1,2). In that year, only 70,895 cases of food poisoning were notified. The HPA has not carried out a similar estimate for subsequent years.
	(1) A Report on the Study of Infectious Intestinal Disease in England, 2000, The Stationery Office, ISBN 0-11-322308-0.
	(2) This figure is based on (1) an evidence-based estimate provided by the HPA derived from a large study of infectious intestinal disease (IID) carried out in 2000 and (2) the number of laboratory reports of IID in 2003.

Food Supplements Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health defines the distinction between the inclusion in principle of ingredients on the list of ingredients permitted for use under the provisions of the Food Supplements Directive and the subsequent setting of the levels at which such nutrients may be present under the provisions of article 5 of the directive.

Caroline Flint: The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health defines the distinction between the inclusion in principle of ingredients on the list of ingredients permitted for use under the provisions of the food supplements directive and the subsequent setting of the levels at which such nutrients may be present under the provisions of article 5 of the directive. The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health defines the distinction between the inclusion in principle of ingredients on the list of ingredients permitted for use under the provisions of the food supplements directive and the subsequent setting of the levels at which such nutrients may be present under the provisions of article 5 of the directive.
	The European Commission reminded the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health on the 2 December 2005 of the distinction between the inclusion in principle of ingredients on the list of ingredients permitted for use under the provisions of the food supplements directive and the subsequent setting of the levels at which such nutrients may be present under the provisions of article 5 of the directive. This distinction is defined within the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC.

Foster Review

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received the report of the Foster review of health professions; whether she plans to create a new umbrella regulator for the health professions covered by the Foster review; and what legislative changes would be required to create such a regulator.

Andy Burnham: I received a draft of the report of the review of non-medical professional regulation on 30 December 2005 and a further draft on 6 March 2006. A statement will be made in due course when the Department's decision on the report is published.

Free Fruit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the policy of free fruit in primary schools on children's dietary patterns and nutritional intake outside school.

Caroline Flint: The big lottery fund, who funded the piloting and roll-out of the school fruit and vegetable scheme (SFVS) into six of the nine English regions, commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), in partnership with Leeds University to carry out an evaluation of the SFVS. Results published in September 2005 demonstrated that children ate significantly more fruit while participating in the scheme. Analysis also showed that among those participating in the scheme fruit and vegetable consumption declined at home and increased in school, suggesting that the scheme did not encourage additional consumption outside of the direct influence of the SFVS.
	A NOP World survey carried out in October 2003 found that over a quarter of children and their families reported that they were eating more fruit at home after joining the scheme, rising to nearly a third in social class C2DE.
	The Department plans to carry out a further evaluation of the SFVS later this year. Monitoring the impact of the scheme on the eating habits of children outside school will be an important component of the evaluation.

GMC's Complaints Mechanism

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what correspondence her Department has had with  (a) members of the public and  (b) the General Medical Council (GMC) regarding the lack of a right of appeal by patients against decisions made by GMC case examiners following complaints against doctors.

Andy Burnham: In the nine months to 22 May 2006, 13 items of correspondence relating to this issue were received from members of the public.
	The Chief Medical Officer has undertaken a review of matters relating to medical regulation which will address this issue. A statement will be made shortly.

Haemophiliacs

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemophiliacs have been infected by  (a) hepatitis C,  (b) AIDS and (c) both hepatitis C and AIDS as a result of NHS treatment for their illness.

Caroline Flint: Most patients with haemophilia who were treated with blood products before the introduction of virus-inactivation procedures were infected with the hepatitis C virus.
	The number of haemophilia patients infected with HIV/AIDS is 1,243. Most patients infected with HIV were co-infected with hepatitis C.

Health Care (Stroud)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people resident in Stroud were treated at  (a) Gloucestershire Royal Hospital,  (b) Cheltenham General Hospital,  (c) Frenchay Hospital,  (d) Southmead Hospital,  (e) John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford,  (f) Stroud Hospital and  (g) Berkeley Hospital in each of the last five years, broken down by treatment received.

Caroline Flint: Information on the number of patients resident in Stroud is not available in the requested format. However, information on the count of patients residing in West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust area, by site of treatment, has been placed in the Library.

Health Care (Stroud)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born at Stroud Maternity Hospital in each of the last three years, broken down by constituency of residence of the mother.

Caroline Flint: The number of registered deliveries at Stroud Maternity Hospital is shown in the table. However, information on the number of babies born at Stroud Maternity Hospital broken down by constituency is not collected.
	
		
			   Number of registered maternity hospital deliveries at Stroud 
			 2004-05 283 
			 2003-04 268 
			 2000-03 246

Health Professions Council

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current budget of the Health Professions Council (HPC) is; what plans she has to increase this budget; how many people the HPC employs; whether all professions within the HPC have equal status; and whether professions incorporated into the HPC in the future will have equal status.

Andy Burnham: The Health Professions Council is a statutory independent body, which is self-funded through registrants' fees. All queries pertaining to its budget, employees and the discharge of its statutory functions should be made direct to the Chief Executive, Marc Seale, at the Health Professions Council, Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BU, 020 7582 0866.

Health Trusts (Hampshire)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position  (a) is in 2006-07 and  (b) was in 2005-06 of each (i) primary care trust and health trust in Hampshire and (ii) each other health trust used by Hampshire residents.

Caroline Flint: There are no figures yet available for the financial year 2006-07. The table shows provisional outturn positions for the financial year 2005-06 of each trust and primary care trust (PCT) in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA) region. It is not possible to identify other health trusts used by residents in Hampshire, as any patient can access any acute hospital in an emergency and the introduction of choose and book means that patients also have access to a wide range of health trusts within England.
	
		
			  Trusts and PCTs in Hampshire and Isle of Wight SHA region 
			Provisional outturn 2005-06 
			  SHA name  Organisation name  Turnover (£000)  Under/(over) spend (£000)  Under/(over) spend as a percentage of turnover 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Blackwater Valley and Hart PCT 177,876 (8,252) (4.6) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight East Hampshire PCT 220,216 459 0.2 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Eastleigh and Test Valley South PCT 153,692 739 0.5 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fareham and Gosport PCT 206,639 104 0.1 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Isle of Wight PCT 177,772 (6,555) (3.7) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Mid-Hampshire PCT 188,843 1,423 0.8 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight New Forest PCT 217,241 358 0.2 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight North Hampshire PCT 195,696 (4,375) (2.2) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 231,596 634 0.3 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Southampton City PCT 289,057 781 0.3 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 35,823 127 0.4 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust 133,855 9 0.0 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Trust 113,876 9 0.0 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight North Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust 117,925 26 0.0 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust 357,591 1,096 0.3 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 368,932 (12,927) (3.5) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 120,955 (3,045) (2.5)

Healthy Living Centres

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what arrangements her Department has made to fund the continuing operation of healthy living centres;
	(2)  how many healthy living centres were set up with lottery funding; and when the lottery funding will cease in each case.

Caroline Flint: The continuing funding arrangements for healthy living centres (HLCs) in England are a matter for their local partners, including primary care trusts and local authorities, many of whom do provide resources in cash, or kind, to support them.
	In England, 257 grant awards were made by the New Opportunities fund (now the Big Lottery fund) to HLCs. All payments of lottery funding to HLCs will be completed in 2009. I have asked the chief executive of the Big Lottery fund to write to the hon. Member setting out the actual forecast final payment for each HLC.

Hepatitis C

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) financial support and  (b) compensation is available to those who have had a hepatitis C infection as a result of a blood transfusion within the NHS but who no longer have the infection.

Caroline Flint: The Skipton Fund was established in 2004, to administer the ex-gratia payment scheme for people infected with hepatitis C following national health service treatment with blood or blood products. The scheme became operational on 5 July 2004.
	People who have cleared the virus as a result of treatment, or who have cleared it spontaneously after a period of chronic infection, are eligible to apply for payment under the hepatitis C ex-gratia payment scheme. People who have cleared the virus spontaneously in the acute phase of the disease are not eligible for payment.

High Voltage Transmission Lines

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies she has commissioned into the health effects of living in very close proximity to high voltage transmission lines; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department's radiation protection research programme supports a number of studies investigating the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF). These range from laboratory work on possible cellular effects to large population studies. A study by Dr. Draper and colleagues of childhood leukaemia incidence and distance from power lines, funded under this programme and published in the  British Medical Journal (BMJ) last year, has added to a large existing body of work in this area (BMJ Vol 330, 4 June 2005). In addition to its own research programme, the Department, along with the Health and Safety Executive, has supported the World Health Organisation's International EMF Project since it started in 1997.
	The Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division (HPA-RPD) keeps the worldwide research findings on EMF and health under review. In 2004, on the basis of a comprehensive review of the existing body of research to date, the HPA-RPD (previously the national radiological protection board) recommended the adoption of new EMF exposure guidelines in this country. In addition, in view of the scientific uncertainties in relation to power frequency electromagnetic fields, the HPA recommended the Government
	"consider the need for further precautionary measures".
	They have also noted that the majority of elevated magnetic fields are due to variations in the electricity supply and distribution system, the presence of substations and equipment in the home rather than proximity to high voltage overhead cables.
	Practical precautionary measures are now being considered in detail by a stakeholder advisory group (SAGE) that includes the Government Departments, agencies, electricity industry, specialists and public concern groups. Details of the process can be found on the website at: www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage.

Home Computing Initiative

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) NHS staff and  (b) nurses had received equipment under the Home Computing Initiative since the scheme was introduced.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Hospital Building Projects (London)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the major hospital building projects in London which  (a) are under way and  (b) have received building permission; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 15 June 2006
	The major hospital building projects (capital value greater than £25 million) which are under way in London are:
	
		
			  National health service trust  Current status  Value  (£ million) 
			  Private finance initiative schemes   
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust Under construction 238 
			 Lewisham Hospitals NHS Trust Under construction 72 
			 Barts and The London NHS Trust Under construction 1,000 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS Trust Under construction 55 
			 The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Under construction 32 
			 Kingston Hospital NHS Trust Under construction 33 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital(1) At preferred bidder stage proceeding to full business case approval 108 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital(1) (2)Pre-OJEU 121 
			 Hillingdon Hospital(1) (2)Pre-OJEU 338 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals(1) (2)Pre-OJEU 80 
			 North West London Hospitals—Northwick Park(1) (2)Pre-OJEU 305 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital (2)Pre-OJEU 328 
			 Public capital schemes   
			 Oxleas NHS Trust Under construction 27 
			 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Pre-tender 75 
			 West London Mental Health—Broadmoor Pre-tender 243 
			 (1) Final capital values are subject to completion of the PR revalidation exercise for each scheme (2) Advertising in the  Official Journal of the European Union 
		
	
	All schemes are required to have secured outline and full planning permission as a condition of approval to proceed to construction.

Indoor Pollution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of indoor pollution on the population; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the effects on indoor air pollution on the population. However, the committee on the medical effects of air pollutants (COMEAP) frequently looks at evidence gathered from studies of the effects of indoor air pollution on health. COMEAP has recently published, on its website, a substantial document entitled "Guidance on Indoor Air Quality" which is available at: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/PDFs/guidanceindoorairqualitydec04.pdf.
	This document reviews the major indoor air pollutants and provides important advice on how to maintain good indoor air quality.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside her Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in her Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

Caroline Flint: The information that follows pertains to the central Department and does not cover Executive agencies, other arm's length bodies or NHS Connecting for Health. A de minimis of £100,000 per annum has been applied.
	Since June 2002 the Department has spent a total of £88.42 million with Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), its information technology (IT) service provider through the information management services agreement. This has included the annual support charges and the cost of the transformation programme. It has also included expenditure, which CSC administer on behalf of the Department, for example BT costs for the wide area network and business ports, and audio conferencing and mobile telephone costs. The remainder of the costs over the five years have been apportioned to project work in support of the integrity and resilience of the infrastructure. These two areas are listed as follows as project and pass through charges. Details of other IT spend, corporate software, telecommunications, the finance system and the web content management system and external hosting are shown in the table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			  2002-03  
			 CSC annual support charge 7.65 
			 CSC project and pass through charges 12.88 
			 Corporate software (including maintenance) 0.795 
			 Telecommunications 2.76 
			 BT external hosting 0.306 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 CSC annual support charge 8.85 
			 CSC transformation charge 12.6 
			 CSC project and pass through charges 18.32 
			 Corporate software (including maintenance) 0.52 
			 Telecommunications 4.35 
			 BT external hosting 0.5 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 CSC annual support charge 8.77 
			 CSC project and pass through charges 20.06 
			 Finance systems project 5.6 
			 Corporate software (including maintenance) 1.073 
			 Telecommunications 4.13 
			 BT external hosting 0.374 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 CSC annual support charge 7.47 
			 CSC project and pass through charges 21.82 
			 Corporate software (including maintenance) 1.075 
			 Telecommunications 3.67 
			 BT external hosting 0.3 
			   
			  2006-07 (Projected costs)  
			 CSC annual support charge 7.6 
			 CSC project and pass through charges (1)21 
			 Corporate software (including maintenance) 1.07 
			 Web content management service (2)5.11 
			 Telecommunications 3.67 
			 BT external hosting 0.3 
			 (1) £2.72 million invoiced so far.  (2) This contract has just been let and the estimated costs cover the next five years. 
		
	
	The sponsor of major IT projects would always be a member of the senior civil service with several years of experience in dealing with such projects and with IT suppliers. As project sponsor his or her responsibility would be to draw together project boards and project teams of civil servants and/or consultants with both project management and procurement qualifications, for example PRINCE2 practitioners and members of the Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Procurements and implementation of projects are undertaken in line with Office of Government Commerce best practice and European Union procedures as required.

Insulins

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is available to the Department on the use of insulins.

Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a technology appraisal 'Guidance on the use of long-acting insulin analogues for the treatment of diabetes—insulin glargine' in December 2002.
	However, the choice of insulin prescribed to a patient is a clinical decision made as a result of a joint decision-making process between the patient and their clinician taking into account all available evidence and the individuals specific clinical needs.
	From January 2006, the NICE guidance on patient education has required all primary care trusts to implement NICE recommendations by providing all people with diabetes with high quality, structured education which should include information on insulin use.

Liverpool City Council

Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources are being deployed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection to ensure that Liverpool city council social services department complies with national standards of service delivery in  (a) care of the elderly and  (b) vulnerable adults.

Rosie Winterton: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that it does not hold a numerical quantification of the resources involved.
	Liverpool social services is currently judged to be a one star council, serving some adults well, with uncertain prospects for improvement.
	CSCI undertook a joint inspection with the Healthcare Commission of older people's services in May 2005. It identified key areas of improvement around strategy and needs analysis and commissioning and performance management.
	Liverpool council has produced improvement plans, which are being monitored by CSCI through the regular business meeting process with the director of adult social services, senior managers, front line managers and elected members of Liverpool city council.
	The joint 'Supporting People' inspection of Liverpool council in June 2004 identified the key areas of development to focus on the improvement of management capacity, commissioning and performance management and partnership and engagement. CSCI is working with partners, including the Audit Commission, to ensure Liverpool council is engaging staff and users in order to positively promote and enhance performance progress.
	CSCI, through its regulatory activity, has noted that the council's own regulated services are demonstrating an improvement and that when regulatory requirements are made they are met within the timescales.

Local Improvement Finance Trust Schemes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the local improvement finance trust schemes undertaken in  (a) Forest of Dean constituency and  (b) Gloucestershire in each year since the initiative was introduced.

Caroline Flint: There are no local improvement finance trusts (LIFT) schemes in the Forest of Dean constituency and Gloucestershire. It is for local primary care trusts to decide to seek approval from the Department to establish LIFTs in their areas, and they do this in the light of the health and social care needs of their population. The local primary care trusts have decided not to seek approval to establish LIFTs in their areas.

Management Consultancy

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) Kennett and North Wiltshire primary care trust and (b) West Wiltshire primary care trust spent on management consultancy in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: Detailed information about contracts for management consultants engaged by national health service bodies is not held centrally.

Maternity Units

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the midwife-led birth unit at Gloucestershire Royal hospital has been closed in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Caroline Flint: This is a matter for the Chair of Gloucestershire National Health Service Foundation Trust. I have written to Dame Janet Trotter informing her of your enquiry. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.

Maternity Units

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds it has been decided to propose Stroud Maternity Unit for closure; and what account she has taken of the new payments by results system in making that decision.

Caroline Flint: Within the framework of the NHS Plan and other national policy documents, it is for local health economies to plan, develop and deliver local services. Decisions on the range of services to be made available or closed in local areas are prioritised and led by local trusts.
	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority has advised officials that a full consultation on health services in Gloucestershire will run from June 12 to 4 September.

Medical Treatment (Under-16s)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring forward legislation to require health professionals  (a) to attempt to persuade a person under 16 years of age to involve a parent or guardian in any medical treatment and  (b) to require a person under 16 years of age who declines to involve a parent or guardian in their medical treatment to sign a waiver form confirming that they have rejected involvement of a parent or guardian; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The courts have found that children aged under 16 who have sufficient understanding and maturity to enable them to understand fully what is involved in a proposed medical intervention will also have the capacity to consent to that intervention. Departmental guidance states that health professionals should encourage young people to involve their family in decision-making.

Mental Health

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) job losses and  (b) ward closures there have been in each mental health trust in England in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect and hold centrally operational management information on proposals to close wards or change staffing levels. Such decisions are for trusts to determine in partnership with local stakeholders. This Government have given local authority overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) the power to review and scrutinise health services from the perspective of their local populations. National health service bodies are under a duty to consult OSCs on any plans to make substantial variation to NHS services. Those committees have the powers to refer any proposal to the Secretary of State if they believe the plans are not in the interests of the health service.

Mental Health

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to each  (a) mental health trust and  (b) primary care trust in England in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Department makes revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs), but not to national health service mental health trusts. Allocations were first made to PCTs in 2003-04, but prior to this funding was allocated to health authorities.
	Details of revenue allocations to PCTs for 2003-04 to 2005-06 and 2006-07 to 2007-08 have been placed in the Library.

Mental Health

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health patients from  (a) Manchester Withington and  (b) the city of Manchester have not been immediately admitted on referral to a mental health bed in a Manchester hospital in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on current waiting times for mental health outpatient treatment in Barnet.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not routinely assess waiting times for mental health services in any locality, including Barnet, because waiting time targets only apply to consultant-led services. This includes consultant-led mental health services. However, in mental health, referrals are usually made to the care of a multi-disciplinary team such as the local community mental health team rather than individual consultants. Therefore, the current waiting time targets are not robust indicators of access to mental health services, many of which take place outside the hospital setting.

Multiple Sclerosis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people with multiple sclerosis are waiting to commence beta interferon and glatiramer treatment;
	(2)  how much funding has been provided for beta interferon and glatiramer treatment for multiple sclerosis in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: Patients with multiple sclerosis, who meet the eligibility criteria set out in Health Circular 2002-04, are able to access treatment with beta interferon and glatiramer acetate through the risk sharing scheme. Information on the number of patients awaiting such treatment is not collected.
	The cost of all prescriptions dispensed in the community for England for beta interferon and glatiramer acetate is detailed as follows:
	
		
			   Glatiramer acetate  Beta interferon 
			 2003 631,321 14,244,221 
			 2004 1,418,911 16,411,143 
			 2005 2,043,707 17,499,572 
		
	
	Information taken from the prescription cost analysis system, supplied by the Prescriptions Pricing Division, which is part of the NHS Business Services Authority, based on an analysis of all prescriptions dispensed in the community for items personally administered in England. Also included are prescriptions written in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man but dispensed in England. This does not cover drugs dispensed in hospitals, or private prescriptions.

Multiple Sclerosis

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of multiple sclerosis sufferers in England are receiving disease modifying therapies;
	(2)  how many people with multiple sclerosis in  (a) England and  (b) Eastbourne eligible for disease modifying therapies under the Association of British Neurologists' guidelines are not receiving them.

Ivan Lewis: The percentage of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) currently receiving disease modifying therapies is not collected.
	The number of people with MS eligible for disease modifying therapies, but not receiving them, is not collected.

National Blood Service

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints her Department received from men who have had sex with men that they were treated disrespectfully by blood donation staff in 2005.

Caroline Flint: Departmental officials are not aware of any complaints about the National Blood Service in relation to how their staff deal with men who have sex with men, who are excluded from donating blood.

National Centre for Media and Health

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the work of the National Centre for Media and Health.

Caroline Flint: The National Centre for Media and Health was a "Choosing Health" commitment which is being developed as part of the health social marketing strategy. An independent report commissioned by the Department, which investigates its future role, responsibilities and development will be launched in June 2006.

National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason section 28 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 has not been implemented.

Andy Burnham: The purpose of section 28 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002 is to provide redress for the way the professional regulatory bodies have carried out any of their functions. Section 28 remains unimplemented to allow regulatory bodies a chance to consider, and amend if necessary, how any function is exercised.
	Once the reviews of medical and non-medical professional regulation are published, we will consider the implementation of section 28.

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the development of an electronic single assessment process through the national programme for information technology.

Caroline Flint: The national service framework (NSF) for older people published in March 2001 recommended implementation of a single assessment process by the health and social care professionals involved in the care of each individual. The national programme for information technology included IT support as an additional service for a single assessment process within the contracts let to local service providers. A variety of information systems and tools are available to support this process. Successful local deployments of such systems by national programme suppliers, notably in the programme's north east and eastern clusters, have demonstrated the value of the technology and its potential to support the rapid development of integrated multi-agency working across all client groups.
	In addition, the £25 million capital expenditure grant recently paid to local authorities (LAs) by the Department for improving information management made specific reference to the single assessment process. The circular issued to LAs contained the following reference:
	'The integration of social care information is a key requirement in the final phase of NCRS implementation. This will include:
	Electronic implementation of the Single Assessment Process...
	It follows, therefore, that significant benefits will be gained by using the grant to facilitate that integration, in particular preparation for the NCRS implementation ... each local authority would be asked to summarise its spending proposals for 2006-07 and 2007-08, as covered by the extension of the grant. The Department is therefore asking each local authority to submit these proposals..."
	A study has also been commissioned into options for national implementation of the electronic single assessment process (e-SAP), including linkage between health and social care systems. Consultation has been undertaken with health, social care and supplier representatives, and a report is due later in 2006.

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what compensation has been paid to the NHS for loss suffered due to non-delivery of components of the national programme for information technology.

Caroline Flint: Many of the components of the national programme for information technology have been delivered to time. There have been some delays to local systems but local plans for deployment of systems and services are subject to regular update and revision by the national health service as well as suppliers depending, for example, on the readiness of NHS bodies to receive them. In general, payment is not made to suppliers until systems have been satisfactorily delivered and have been demonstrated to be safe to use and fit for purpose, and, where appropriate, been the subject of consultation with representatives of end-user groups. In some areas of the programme this process is determining the pace at which development and deployment takes place.
	In some instances savings have been achieved by NHS organisations where national programme systems and services have been delivered ahead of time, or additional to those originally planned. Examples include email and new national network connections in many areas, and the benefits of national software licensing arrangements with Microsoft and Novell. There has been no clawback of the savings in these instances. The question of compensation for non-delivery, either to or from the NHS, therefore does not arise in either case.
	There was a situation in the early days of the new national network (N3) contract when early milestones were missed and compensation of £4.5 million was agreed with BT. The N3 performance has since recovered and is now ahead of schedule.
	Delivery of systems and services to the NHS is generally ahead of schedule in some areas, and, in the context of a 10-year programme, broadly on track in others. Such delays that have occurred have been more than made up for by delivery of projects additional to the original contracted components such as the quality management and analysis system (QMAS), the secure NHSmail email service and payment by results, which are in addition to the original scope of the programme.
	Two years since contracts were first awarded, over 10,000 instances of new deployments of all types are currently live in NHS locations in England. 8,800 general practices (28,000 general practitioners (GPs)) are daily using QMAS that pays GPs £600 million a year based on quality outcomes. There are almost 230,000 users registered for access to the NHS care record spine with over 45,000 users accessing every day and around one and a quarter million prescriptions have been transmitted using the electronic transmission of prescriptions system. Over 14,500 secure broadband connections have been delivered, including to almost 10,000 general practice locations, and there are over 175,000 registered NHSmail users, over 79,000 of whom use the system daily.

National Programme for Information Technology

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the speed is of the broadband connection delivered through the national programme for information technology; and what assessment she has made of the optimal access speed.

Caroline Flint: The new national network (N3) provides connections of 0.5 up to 2 megabits per second (Mbps) of dedicated bandwidth for general practitioner (GP) sites, and of 2Mbps up to l00Mbps for national health service trusts. This can be topped up by local organisations to accommodate local business requirements.
	Bandwidth deployed in any particular site depends on the size of the site, and the type of application usage predicted. More than 85 per cent. of GP sites have or are planned to have 1Mbps bandwidth or higher. Around 60 per cent. of NHS trusts have or are planned to have l00Mbps bandwidth.
	Research on bandwidth requirements was undertaken with the NHS user community and prospective local service providers as part of the N3 procurement exercise. Results of the research were used as the basis for developing N3 products and services.
	N3 deployment is one of the national programme's major success stories. In the two years since it began, over 14,500 installations have been completed at a rate significantly in advance of the original deployment plan. Before N3, only main GP practice sites were connected, the majority at 64kbps and some at 256kbps. None of these had any backup service provided and no branch practices were funded centrally. Trusts were provisioned at one 2mbps connection per trust. Under N3 all GP practice sites are eligible for centrally funded connections, and trusts are provided with a connection per site and receive bandwidth commensurate with their size. In order to provide a standard level of service, the provision of broadband services in some rural communities was accelerated under N3 in order that GPs could benefit from consistent services, regardless of location. The NHS was the first public service organisation to achieve this ambition for equitability of services in rural areas.
	All N3 services receive significant backup connectivity, and average service availability across both primary and secondary care sites routinely exceeds 99.9 per cent. It is estimated that the total cost of N3 connections will be at least £800 million less than the provision of the same amount of N3 bandwidth under the old NHSnet contract.

NHS Care Records Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to link  (a) opticians and  (b) dentists to the NHS Care Records Service.

Caroline Flint: The NHS Care Records Service is the core component of the national programme for information technology. National programme applications are designed to support all the clinical services in and around the national health service, including dentists and opticians. The national programme is on target to achieve full integration of health and social care systems in England by 2010.

NHS Care Records Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to link the Care Records Service to equivalent systems in  (a) Scotland and  (b) Wales.

Caroline Flint: The opportunity was provided for the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales to join the procurement exercise for England but, at the time, they chose not to do so, which is their right under devolved government arrangements. However, through the United Kingdom information management and technology forum, and the national health service information standards board, national programme officials work closely with officials in the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Office to ensure common standards and interoperability of clinical information systems. Details of the output based specification, standards and message specifications used in England have been made available to other jurisdictions. The NHS care records service is being designed and developed in accordance with international and European Union-wide standards which have been adopted by the UK e-Government interoperability framework (e-GIF).

NHS Care Records Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health professionals are registered to access the NHS Care Records Service; and how many staff she expects to have access when the system is fully operational.

Caroline Flint: Local national health service organisations have the responsibility for determining which of their staff may access the care records available within the particular deployment of new information technology systems to their organisation. Only those people involved in the care of the patient will have access to patient information, and the level of detail to which they have access will be appropriate to their role. The NHS care records service registration authority is responsible for registering and verifying the identity of NHS staff who need to use the NHS Care Records Service (NHS CRS) and related systems and services. The number having access when the service is fully deployed across the NHS will be determined by the operational and professional needs of NHS organisations and their staff. Access to these systems and services, and the patient information they contain and use, is controlled by smartcards with identification and passcode, superior to a chip and pin credit card. Registration authorities locally issue smartcards to authorised staff with an approved level of access to patient information. As at 31 May 2006, there were over 230,000 users registered to access the NHS CRS.

NHS Direct

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether NHS Direct is funded out of the connecting for health budget;
	(2)  how NHS Direct generates revenue.

Caroline Flint: NHS Direct is funded by the Department for its core national services and for specific national projects such as the development of its NHS Direct interactive television services.
	The nationally provided choose and book appointments line, which is currently solely provided by NHS Direct, is funded out of Departmental central budgets. To 2005-06, this has been funded from Connecting for Health monies. In 2006-07, the appointments line will be funded out of Departmental central budgets.
	NHS Direct is able to generate local income by competing to provide services for primary care trusts and others. These may be either nationally enhanced services where it is national policy to involve NHS Direct such as call handling and clinical assessment for out-of-hours care or locally enhanced services to meet specific local needs such as pre-hospital screening.

NHS Finance

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the restrictions are on primary care trusts releasing money ring-fenced for premises development; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Primary care trusts have the responsibility to plan, develop and improve services to meet the needs of local people and to decide how available funding should best be spent. Investment in premises improvement will be considered alongside other priorities.
	Funding that has been ring-fenced as grants to third parties, including primary care premises, must be spent for the purpose for which they were ring-fenced.

NHS Finance

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mechanism is by which  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) NHS trusts report deficits to their strategic health authorities; how these deficits are monitored; and what the trigger is for bringing in a turnaround team.

Andy Burnham: In order to monitor the implementation of turnaround plans for organisations within the turnaround cohort, the turnaround national programme office at the Department has developed a fortnightly reporting process which will capture, for example, the following information: risks/issues during implementation; progress against milestones; overall financial performance against plan: for example cost savings achieved; monthly run rate information(1); year to date/outturn performance; and forecast full year deficit.
	Following an independent baseline assessment of organisations with some of the largest deficits, 98(2) organisations were identified as those with significant deficits. These organisations, also known as the turnaround cohort were categorised in terms of their support requirements as follows:
	Category 1: Immediate priority. Urgent intervention required to drive turnaround.
	Category 2: Additional expertise/resource needed to support turnaround.
	Category 3: Drive/focus. Maintain high priority of actions.
	Category 4: Encourage to share what works and deliver easy wins.
	Category 1 and 2 organisations were expected to secure additional turnaround support in order to assist them in the development of robust credible turnaround plans. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) and chief executives of organisations retain the responsibility for financial recovery. Over and above the central expectation for additional turnaround support for categories 1 and 2, triggers to fund external turnaround support are determined locally.
	All national health service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) are required to submit financial forecasts to the Department on a monthly basis. SHAs may have additional reporting requirements.
	(1) Monthly balance of income and expenditure (run rate balance).
	(2) There are 102 (48 trusts and 54 PCTs) statutory organisations within the turnaround cohort but Ipswich PCT and Suffolk Coastal are under joint management and are treated as one organisation, as are Fareham and Gosport PCT and East Hampshire PCT, and three Cumbrian PCTs.

NHS IT Programme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalty charges have been levied on suppliers to the NHS IT programme, broken down by  (a) company and  (b) the part of the programme.

Caroline Flint: Under the terms of the contracts let by NHS Connecting for Health, the agency which is delivering the national health service national programme for information technology, a significant proportion of the completion risks have been transferred to the supplier. Payment to the supplier depends on system deployment, which incentivises deployment. NHS Connecting for Health has retained extensive rights under its contracts to defer payments, receive compensation for missed milestones and, if necessary, to terminate contracts, for failure to achieve the required performance levels.
	In the early days of the new national network (N3) contract some early milestones were missed and clawback of £4.5 million was agreed with BT. N3 performance has since recovered and is now ahead of schedule.
	Relevant contractual levers have also been applied on a number of other occasions where local service providers have failed to meet specified performance or deployment activity.
	While not classed as penalty charges, these sanctions have been in the form of the withholding of payments.

NHS Performance

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 253, on NHS performance, in which areas of NHS activity the £765 million surplus that has reduced the gross NHS deficit from £1.27 billion to £512 million arose; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The national health service is not only delivering more and improved health services, but also a much better quality of care for patients. Some NHS organisations were able to deliver these improvements and deliver a surplus for 2005-06. There are a wide range of service improvements that trusts made irrespective of whether they were in surplus.

NHS Performance

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006,  Official Report, column 253, on NHS performance, on what basis the gross deficit of £1.27 billion for the NHS financial year 2005-06 was calculated.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 13 June 2006
	The gross surplus is the aggregate of surpluses reported in the provisional unaudited outturn figures for 2005-06 by all national health service trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities.

NHS Projects

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS health  (a) promotion and  (b) prevention projects planned for the 2005-06 financial year have been (i) withdrawn, (ii) cut and (iii) postponed until the 2006-07 financial year.

Caroline Flint: The "Choosing Health" White Paper, published in 2004, sets out the Government's key programme of measures to promote health and prevent disease by supporting the public to make healthier and informed choices.
	A delivery plan was published in 2005 following publication of the "Choosing Health" White Paper. This sets down plans for delivery against all "Choosing Health" commitments. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for  (a) Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and  (b) Education and Skills about reducing obesity in (i) schools and (ii) young people; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The childhood obesity public service agreement (PSA) "to halt the year-on-year rise in obesity in 2 to 10 year olds by 2010" is jointly held by the Department, Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Mechanisms are in place to ensure that contributions from relevant government departments are properly co-ordinated and discussed at official and ministerial level. These include the Obesity Programme Board, which meets quarterly and includes senior departmental officials from Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Treasury, DfES, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Food Standards Agency, and DCMS. The cross-Government Ministerial Committee on Domestic Affairs sub-Committee on Public Health has the obesity PSA as a standing agenda item at each of its regular meeting.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 18 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1204W.

Occupational Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what is the current  (a) average and  (b) longest waiting time for assessment for occupational therapy over the last three years;
	(2)  how many patients are currently awaiting assessment for occupational therapy.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not available centrally.
	The major employers of occupational therapists are the national health service and local authorities (LAs). In the NHS it is for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities, LAs and other stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. LAs directly employ occupational therapists and the delivery of the service will be determined by the employing authority. A number of LAs are in discussion with their NHS partners regarding the integration of occupational therapy services, however this information is not available centrally.

Osteopathy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the basis is for the proposed changes to the regulation of osteopaths; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Government have made no proposals at this point for changes to the regulation of osteopaths. The recent review of non-medical professional regulation, which has reported to Ministers, looked at the need for change in the regulation of all non-medical professions. A statement will be made in due course when we reach our decisions on this review.

Osteopathy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the budget for the General Osteopathic Council is publicly funded.

Andy Burnham: The General Osteopathic Council is self-funded through registrants' fees. No proportion of the budget is publicly funded.

Osteopathy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what weight the Foster Review has given to the Government's principles of better regulation in considering the future regulation of osteopaths.

Andy Burnham: The Government's five better regulation principles require regulation to be proportionate, accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted. These principles underlie the review of non-medical professional regulation, which includes the regulation of osteopaths.

Parliamentary Questions

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer question numbers  (a) 57781 and  (b) 57782 tabled on 7 March and question numbers  (c) 58559 and  (d) 58560 tabled on 9 March.

Caroline Flint: Answers were given on 7 June.

PFI Projects

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remaining stages are of each private finance initiative hospital project yet to reach final close; and whether additional stages are required to complete these projects which were not required for projects already completed.

Andy Burnham: The remaining stages of each private finance initiative (PFI) hospital project yet to reach financial close are shown in the table.
	
		
			  National Health Service  Trust  Current status  Value (£million) 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals Full business case (FBC) approved proceeding to financial close 338 
			 University Hospital Birmingham FBC approved proceeding to financial close 697 
			 Tameside and Glossop Acute Services At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 91 
			 Essex Rivers Healthcare, Colchester At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 223 
			 Mid Essex Hospital Services, Chelmsford At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 186 
			 North Middlesex University Hospital At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 108 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals, Wakefield At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 280 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 190 
			 Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals At preferred bidder stage proceeding to FBC 360 
			 Walsall Hospitals At short list bidder stage proceeding to preferred bidder 100 
			 Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys At short list bidder stage proceeding to preferred bidder 78 
			 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells At short list bidder stage proceeding to preferred bidder 428 
			 South Devon Healthcare Advertised in Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) proceeding to shortlisted bidder stage 341 
			 Leicestershire Partnership Pre-OJEU 50 
			 University Hospitals of Leicester Pre-OJEU 550 
			 University Hospital of North Staffordshire Pre-OJEU 411 
			 Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital Pre-OJEU 121 
			 Hillingdon Hospital Pre-OJEU 338 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Pre-OJEU 80 
			 North West London Hospitals, Northwick Park Pre-OJEU 305 
			 Aintree Hospitals Pre-OJEU 50 
			 Southampton University Hospitals Pre-OJEU 80 
			 Southend Hospital Pre-OJEU 100 
			 North Bristol/South Gloucestershire Primary Care Trusts Pre-OJEU 400 
			 Taunton and Somerset Pre-OJEU 80 
			 Plymouth Hospitals Pre-OJEU 209 
			 Papworth Hospitals Pre-OJEU 148 
			 Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals - 2010 Pre-OJEU 500 
			 East and North Hertfordshire/West Hertfordshire Hospitals Pre-OJEU 880 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Pre-OJEU 500 
			 Plymouth Hospitals Pre-OJEU 400 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital Pre-OJEU 300 
			 Mersey Care Pre-OJEU 192 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Children's Pre-OJEU 204 
			 Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals Pre-OJEU 200 
			 United Bristol Healthcare Pre-OJEU 104 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, Cherry Knowle Pre-OJEU 50 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital Pre-OJEU 328 
			 Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Pre-OJEU 317 
		
	
	We announced on 26 January that all trusts with PFI schemes with an expected capital value of greater than £75 million would need to reconfirm their plans. This an additional check put in place to ensure that all schemes properly take account of the current reforms to the NHS such as choice, a movement of services into primary and community settings, the new financial regime as well long-term affordability, assumptions on efficiency gains and income growth.

Primary Care Trusts

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts are operating panels to review GP referrals to consultants; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The information about which primary care trusts are operating referral panels is not held centrally.
	The Department is clear that referrals to community-based clinical assessment services, and other such centres, should happen only where it adds genuine clinical value for patients.

Sexual Health

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the sexual health sector in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: In February 2005, individual primary care trusts (PCTs), including those covering the London area were notified of their choosing health revenue allocation. In 2006-07, £91.5 million has been allocated to PCTs for sexual health modernisation which includes funding for Chlamydia screening, contraception and abortion services and a further £111.5 million will be allocated in 2007-08. In addition, a further £15 million genito-urinary medicine capital was allocated in 2005-06 and a further £25 million in 2006-07.
	Data on spend on sexual health services in each PCT is not collected centrally.

Sheppey Community Hospital

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the new x-ray scanner will be  (a) installed and  (b) operational at Sheppey Community Hospital.

Caroline Flint: This is a local matter. However, the Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority has advised that the new x-ray scanner at Sheppey Community Hospital is due to be installed during the week commencing 19 June 2006. Following installation, it is anticipated that the x-ray scanner will be operational within three weeks.

Sickle Cell Anaemia

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia there are in  (a) England and  (b) London.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect this information.

Sickle Cell Anaemia

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) received information on which aims to develop a cure for sickle cell anaemia; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Innovation, part of the Department of Trade and Industry.
	The MRCs current portfolio in this area includes a £1.25 million programme on inherited blood disorders; this includes sickle cell anaemia.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects, including a number concerned with sickle cell anaemia, are available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.

St. Mary's Hospital, Stannington

Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when St. Mary's Hospital, Stannington, Northumberland, closed; what the cost of maintaining and securing the buildings and grounds of the hospital was in each of the last five years; and what steps she plans to take to expedite the disposal of the hospital estate.

Rosie Winterton: St. Mary's Hospital, Stannington, which forms part of the Secretary of State for Health's residual estate, closed in 1996.
	The cost of security and maintenance, to ensure that the intrinsic value of the buildings on the site is maintained, in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			  Cost (£) 
			 2001-02 (1)135,000 
			 2002-03 142,500 
			 2003-04 160,200 
			 2004-05 165,600 
			 2005-06 165,250 
			 (1) Estimated. 
		
	
	The site has been sold, subject to planning consent being granted. The prospective purchaser's planning application was refused on appeal in May 2006. Options that will achieve an early sale are currently being considered.

Stroke/Heart Attacks

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) stroke and  (b) heart attack patients have died on the way to hospital in an ambulance in each of the last five years; and how long the journey was in (i) miles and (ii) minutes on each occasion.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Tobacco Purchasing

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will publish the consultation on raising the age limit for the purchase of tobacco products.

Caroline Flint: The consultation on raising the age of sale for tobacco products will be published shortly.

Treatment Costs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of comparable procedures undertaken in  (a) NHS hospitals and  (b) independent sector treatment centres.

Andy Burnham: Value for money of the independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) procurement has been ensured by running a robust and competitive procurement process, and by benchmarking procedure prices between contracts and comparing them to the national health service equivalent cost and the prices paid by the NHS to the independent sector under spot purchase arrangements.
	Across the full period of the wave 1 ISTC contracts, the average percentage cost compares favourably with the historical cost to the NHS of spot purchasing from the independent sector.

Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average cost to the NHS of a case of active tuberculosis disease in each of the five years.

Caroline Flint: The exact costs of treating people with tuberculosis are not routinely collected, and treatment costs can vary widely from patient to patient.

Tuberculosis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the cost benefits of early and accurate diagnosis of  (a) latent tuberculosis and  (b) active tuberculosis disease.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not undertaken a formal cost benefit analysis on the benefits of early and accurate diagnosis of latent or active tuberculosis (TB) disease.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of TB, and measures for its prevention and control in March 2006. NICE made recommendations about the effectiveness, including cost effectiveness, of diagnostic tools for early and accurate diagnosis of latent TB and active TB. The clinical guideline and associated reports are available on NICE'S website at:
	www.nice.org.uk.